


Kill the Ghoul

by AngelaEvil



Category: Akame ga Kill!, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Assassination, Cannibalism, Child Abuse, Crossover, Esdeath - Freeform, F/M, Ghouls, Kakuja, M/M, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Psychosis, Unrequited Crush, Violence, We all know what happens with Esdeath, Yakuza, a lot of blood, but mostly just a lot of people getting killed, some fluffy moments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-14
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-06-02 05:17:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 34,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6552538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelaEvil/pseuds/AngelaEvil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tokyo and Akame blender set in the Akame ga Kiru world. Characters from both series will make an appearance. The Night Raid must face a threat that none of them could be prepared for. New, strange creatures have emerged from the pages of history even stronger then teigu? Can Akame and co overcome that kind of monster? The empire may fall apart. (originally posted on ff.net)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kill the Past

_Northern Territory, ≈10 years ago_

* * *

 

Snow clung to his side and Kaneki breathed heavily; the air stung his lungs and smelled heavily of blood. The sticky substance coated the snow as he trudged on. He could tell from the rigidity of his skin that he had frost bite. That was to be expected when his back was exposed to the freezing winds. The black combat suit he was wearing wasn't designed for cold weather. Yet again Ken thanked whatever gods there might be for his inherited regeneration ability. His prayer of thanksgiving was interrupted by the weight in his arms stirring. He glanced down at the large bundle with his one exposed eye. The thick, wool traveling cloak, that had kept him warm thus far, was wrapped tightly around a petite human frame. She was around ten to thirteen years old. He had found her wandering the snowy drifts just outside of a Partas Clan village. Judging from the icey blue tint to her hair and eyes she was a member.

His mind wandered back to the village. Kaneki ment to return her but upon seeing it razed to the ground, corpses piled everywhere from tribals and the marauders alike. It was easy to put two and two together. He had been heading south since than. The snowstorm had blown in sometime after leaving the village's husk behind. The human stirred again distracting him once more. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared up at him with amazement.

It occurred to the young man that he must appear very strange. He was only a few years older than her, traveling in what could be considered underwear-level protection from the elements. His hair was as white as the snow that clung to it. The mask he wore covered his neck up to the bridge of his nose with a terrifying and detailed, toothy leer affixed over his mouth. There was a functioning zipper that ran along the teeth. The mask was a black leather with an eyepatch over his right eye. Air filters on either side of his neck were mostly for decoration but did allow him to breath more easily.

Her first act after waking up was to bite him. She had turned her head and got his middle three fingers between her teeth. It didn't hurt but it wasn't comfortable. She didn't even break his skin. After a moment or two she gave up and stared at him again. "Are you a Snow sprite? Have you come to take me away?" she asked, seemingly excited.

Kaneki hadn't stopped moving since the storm started but nearly did. The question had thrown him off. He didn't answer, instead pulling the cloak over her head to block a gust of wind. He glared at the wind as if that would make it die down faster.

Esdeath stared at her captor, recalling her father's stories of Snow sprites. They often appeared young, though they were very old, and kidnapped naughty children for their supper. "Are you going to eat me?" She was genuinely curios.

He looked down at her with his stormy gray eye, "Hmm, probably." His voice was a gentle monotone

She examined her hand thoughtfully, "I'm probably delicious." Why had she never thought about that before? It seemed logical. If a danger beast was stronger than her and found her tasty she was more likely to be eaten. Just like how she found certain foods more appetizing so she was more likely to hunt those animals.

Esdeath felt her weight being shifted. When she looked up the Snow sprite had undone the zipper on his mask. He had grabbed her hand firm but gentle, odd, and lifted one of her fingers to his mouth. She flinched when he bit her. His teeth were sharp and her skin offered no resistance but just like his grip, the bite was gentle. He lapped the blood off of her injury and sucked lightly on the cut. His lips were soft. "Mmm," was his only comment. She was allowed to pull her hand away.

It hit her rather suddenly. Papa's stories of Snow sprites were always women. She had asked an elder once if there were even boy Snow sprites. They were very rare, apparently, and because none of their own kind would have them they looked for brides elsewhere, sometimes snatching them for the village in the dead of night. "Are you going to make me your bride?" Being eaten she could handle but marriage? She was far too young!

"Do you want to be married?" He gave no indication of emotion and that was beginning to annoy her.

"No… I don't think you're my type."

"Well I'm not going to force you," he joked, "You are a bit young for me anyway." He had laughed at her when she pulled a face.

Seeing an opportunity for revenge she leaned forward and placed her lips over his. The young man froze, though his legs kept moving, and tightened his jaw. " _Clearly he wasn't expecting_ that," she thought triumphantly. His breath was warm on her chilled face. The chaste kiss had lasted only for a second. When Esdeath pulled back she took delight in the first sign of emotion, fright. Not the intense fright that comes with a life or death situation, but the startled sort. It quickly faded from his eye and she zipped the mouth shut in victory.

* * *

 

_The Capital, Present_

Esdeath woke up to the smell of coffee. A combat report stuck to her face. "Rise and shine" a monotone announced, placing a cup down in front of her. She gave a happy sigh and gulped down the scalding, dark fluid.

"Thank you, Snowy," she murmured, peeling the parchment off her face. She had fallen asleep in Kaneki's cafe, having arrived back at the Capital only last night. She couldn't wait to see her old friend and had roused him at 3 a.m. to share coffee and memories. Some time after 4 she had fallen asleep while writing the report at one of Kaneki's tables. It was noon and she was very late.

"No problem Esa, but if you don't hurry the Prime Minister will have your head on a pike." She could tell he was joking, even if others couldn't.

"Whatever," she muttered into her cup before realizing it was empty. "My offer still stands y'know." Kaneki gave her a sour look as he refilled her cup. "At least come hunting with me later." Her voice sounded pleading but that was no request.

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Fine, then I guess you need to find another _supplier_."

Kaneki glared at her. When she was younger it was intimidating, but as she got older it became clear that if she didn't shirk from that gaze he would buckle to her will.

"Alright," he snapped, "but you _owe_ me."

Esdeath raised her cup in a cheer as Kaneki plopped down onto the chair next to her and began filling out the report at lightning speed. She watched, always amazed at his skill with a pen. His memory was also amazing as Esdeath didn't remember telling him half of what he wrote down, all of which was accurate.

She gave him a peck on the cheek, it had become a customary greeting or farewell, he huffed angrily, as always. She drained the last of the brew, feeling refreshed and charged out the door yelling a, "I'll pay you later," over her shoulder.

Kaneki leaned back in his chair. "She grew a lot in the last three years. Military life suits her… That tattoo though…"


	2. Kill the Prey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *POV indicates a change in point of view with no alteration to location.

**Exposition time... yay?**

* * *

_The Capital, Kaneki's Cafe: "The Web", 1:32 pm_

It had been a few weeks since he had opened his cafe in the upper ring of the city. His daily customers were a mix of civilian merchants, military personnel, a few doctors, and a large helping of corrupt government officials. Esdeath didn't object to a few of the more spineless "civil servants" going missing when she wasn't around, nor did she ask, and didn't even try to feign caring. They were weak and Kaneki was to strong and to clever to get caught. When she was around however, the half ghoul prefered to get his meals from her. At one time he might have cared about being humane but now, food was food.

There was, however, a rare exception to both rules in the form of a young man who delivered the beans need for his store. Nagachika Hideyoshi was the name he went by. While he acted a fool he was a lot smarter than he let on and rather inciteful. Although they were total opposites, they were the best of friends.

It had been moments after Esdeath left that this very loud, colorful errand boy burst through the front door carrying a fifty pound bag over his shoulder. That was another thing to mention. Hide was exceptionally strong for a human, especially for his weight and build, "Yo! Kaneki!" and also _very_ informal.

"Hide," he responded with a gentle smile.

The beaming boy troted up to the counter Kaneki was cleaning and dropped the bag with a huff.

"How much is it today?"

"The master said three gold."

"Hah. This is getting expensive." He pulled the payment out from a drawstring purse beneath the countertop. "I might have to bump up my prices." Kaneki leaned back on his heels and scratched just below his left eye, being sure to readjust the simple black eyepatch he wore.

"Y'know, you could always buy from someone else." Hide said, flopping down on a barstool and leaning forward on his elbows.

"Mukade*, has the best beans in town and besides, I'd miss your company." He dropped the coins into Hide's open hand.

The youth gave an elated gasp, "Why, Kaneki, I didn't think you saw me like that."

He was about to go on, had the Owner not put a steaming fresh cup in front of him. "I'm not into men, Hide. You're a good friend is all." His monotone was absolute.

"Awww," the other boy teased.

"Anyway, what's todays tip?"

Hide pause for a moment and looked up, placing a hand on his chin like he always did when thinking. "Ah!" He went rummaging through his messenger pack and pulled out an ancient, raty book. "I want you to translate this!"

Kaneki took the tome carefully and flipped through the pages. It was as old as it looked, maybe older. The writing was easy enough to decipher, he had seen its like a number of times before, but the sheer size of it would take him well over a week, assuming he even had the time. He glanced up at Hide's wide smile. "This would cost a fortune if you took it to a Libram to translate." Hide only nodded. Kaneki smirked at his shrewd business sense. "I hope you can agree this is worth more than just a week of tips."

The young man looked slightly crestfallen.

"I'm not saying I won't do it, just don't expect any extra pay from me until this thing is done," he said tapping the book's binding.

"Woohoo! Thanks man you're the best!" Yet again Kaneki was left to himself after a friend drained what was left of their drink and dashed out the door of his shop. The bell gave notice of the door's closing.

As the quiet once again settled the white haired man took the hefty thing to his room. The living quarters weren't that large but he didn't need much space. There were three pieces of furniture and a small window on the far wall. His desk was positioned next to the door on the right, the bed slumped by the window, and occupying its own wall was a large, elaborate wardrobe. He placed the old book on the desk before turning to the wardrobe. His fingers traced the mahogany spiderweb relief before opening it. All of his clothes were arranged from casual to semi-formal by seasons and were mostly light or cool colors. He pushed the articles out of the way and placed a hand on the back.

A slight pressure popped it onto a slider and it glided to the right. Had he wanted to he could hop through the wardrobe into the hidden room just beyond. Kaneki satisfied himself just checking that everything was still in its place. The chamber was slightly smaller than the bedroom. Weights and a pull up bar were stationed in the corners closest to him. It was constructed out of plain stone and otherwise featureless except for a glass case at the far side, directly across from where Kaneki stood. In it was his black combat suit and old mask. He made a mental note that he would probably need to get them fixed soon as the wear was starting to be visible.

He slid the secret door closed before returning downstairs. It was good that he didn't open until 2 pm on Saturdays.

* * *

 

_Outside the Capital, Hidden Location, 1:54 pm_

The forest whispered quietly as Akame kept on her way, she would reach the hideout soon and then she could give her report to Boss Najenda. Esdeath was back from her suppression campaign and Akame had discovered something interesting. The General had stopped at an upper city cafe, called The Web, and had spent hours there, not leaving until morning. This information would surely be useful in her assassination.

As she rounded a bend, she plucked one of Lubo's strings exactly three times to let him know she was coming. After a minute of flat out running she reached home base. The Night Raids owl hung proudly from the roof. She didn't have to knock as Bulat had opened the door for her.

She gave her report as precisely as possible once everyone was assembled in their normal spot. The assassins were much more relaxed today.

"So, it seems that we need to do some investigating of this Web place." Leona sighed. She was leaning against the wall, playing with her golden hair. She had a disappointed look on her face. "Ugh, the upper districts, the one place I can't blend in. It's not fair I tell ya'"

"At least you don't have to carry Mine's shopping bags." Lubo replied in an attempt to cheer the lioness up. She only glared at the green haired man.

"Are you up for this, Mine?" Najenda asked, calmly taking another breath from her cigar.

"Sure," the pink loli girl responded.

"I would like to provide support." Akame had finally spoken up.

"No, there are wanted posters of you everywhere and you're too conspicuous. If this were a nocturnal o.p. I'd send you in a heartbeat." Najenda deadpanned, "Bulat will be going in a military disguise while Mine will play a Noble. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Boss" everyone said. With that the two members got ready to meet the Ice queen's friend. They didn't know what they'd find.

* * *

 

_The Capital, The Web, 3:44pm_

Kaneki was having a bit of a slow day, not that he minded that. The quiet was good for him. He was able to think. Only a handful of people were there. He knew three of them personally, Itori, the information broker that rented a booth from 3 to 10 every day and her close friend, and bodyguard, Uta. Although he wasn't that physically intimidating, being super skinny and all, the tattoos, half shaved head, and piercing red eyes did his job well enough for him. Itori herself also had red eyes but medium length auburn hair as opposed to Uta's black locks. She was talking quietly with a "merchant", normally Kaneki would eavesdrop but this conversation wasn't particularly interesting.

Another Regular, Eto, sat on the opposite side, hurriedly scribbling away at several layers of parchment. She was a writer and his adopted older sister. Her Father, Yoshimura, was the owner before Kaneki. The white haired man had worked for him many years, becoming part of the family, and the cafe, and by extension the criminal network it was a hub for. While the underground society was mostly for smuggling goods there were a few less savory jobs that need to be taken care of. Members like Eto, and his combat instructor Yomo, were mostly responsible for that now, while the duty of leading fell to him. Eto offered to lighten his load a bit but the eccentric author was a little… unstable. Her messy light green hair fell in her face several times before Kaneki offered her a hairband and some more coffee. She gave a thankful smile before rushing back to work.

When the bell rang again Kaneki hadn't been expecting anyone in particular, so he was pleasantly surprised. The first thing he noticed about the young girl was pink. Her hair, her clothes, even the bags of her many purchases were all pink. Buried under the mountain of acquired belongings was a private guard who wore a simple white suit of armor and a helm that covered his face completely. Kaneki gave as gentle a smile as possible and showed her to a booth before taking her order. The guard wanted nothing.

"Slow afternoon, hu?" the man's voice was low and the conversation sudden.

"Er, yes, it'll pick up again around 5." Kaneki response was somewhat lame as he wasn't expecting to have to make small talk today.

"Hmm," the young lady sighed after taking a sip, "I didn't think coffee could taste this good."

***POV**

Their waiter blushed slightly at Mine's complement. "Well, I do my best." His dull stormy eye was the most expressive part about him, not a hint of any kind of emotion showed in his voice. He seemed to Bulat all together honest. He was also handsome with smooth kind features but definitely masculine. He didn't know how to describe it but he felt…dangerous. Was it because he was the one Esdeath was meeting with? Was it that he had a teigu? He certainly didn't feel any bloodlust coming from the waiter. What was it?

"What do you do when it's slow?" Mine's question had interrupted his thoughts, he had missed part of the conversation. Before he could answer however, another man in a dark cloak walked in through the back door.

"Excuse me a moment." He murmured almost to himself while walking away from the table. It wasn't possible to see the cloaked figure's face as the hood obscured it. Judging by the deference in his slight bow to the white haired worker he seemed to be a subordinate. A few brief inaudible words were exchanged. Bulat could see the flash of fury in the waiter's eye. "Handle it." he responded coldly. It sent a chill up the Night Raider's back. The cloaked figure bowed again before departing the same way he came in. Bulat felt Mine stiffen next to him went they caught a sudden rush of killing intent. It dissipated as quickly as it came and their server returned still as kindly seeming as before. This was definitely someone they would need to watch out for. "Now then, do you need anything else?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *It is the first name I came up with to be honest and I'm to lazy to change it. Also, it's the name of a very good TG fanfic. Though the author does have a few grammatical errors, the story is superb. I'm keeping it as an omage.


	3. Kill the Lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a lot of intrigue going on...

_Outside the Capital, Night Raid Base, 11:22pm_

"It's a guy!" Loena roared in disbelief. "No way! Absolutely no way I'm going to get that image out of my head!" She thrashed around on the carpet.

"I don't think it was like that," Bulat muttered, trying to regain control of the conversation.

"How isn't it 'like that'!" Mine demanded. "You saw him! No way she stayed there overnight and well into the morning for an innocent sleepover."

"Ohh?" Leona sat up, "Does someone have a crush?"

Mine flushed in embarrassment. "I'm just saying that if we want to unbalance Esdeath, get her to slip up, then we need to ice her lover."

Najenda lifted her metal hand to her chin in thought. "In your report, you mention a hooded man being told to take care of something that clearly was a source of anger for that Kaneki guy. Once Lubo gets back from meeting with a contact we should have a clearer picture." Almost as if he was summoned by her words, the thread wielding assassin entered the room with a folder. His face was deathly pale. "How is it." She almost dreaded to ask.

"So much worse." He handed the information over to Najenda who nearly choked on her cigar. It was a handwritten letter from Kaneki "requesting" to know why exactly they were digging into his business. She read it out.

Dear Night Raid,

It has come to my attention that you wish to know more about me and I can only assume as to the reason. Please be assured that I have no desire to be caught up in your business and you will certainly regret getting caught in mine. That little spy you sent, let's just say you won't be hearing from him again. As for the two members that you had drop into my shop this afternoon, I'll let that slide. Your people do tip well. So far I have permitted your activity in _my_ city, but no longer. Now, I don't plan on telling Esdeath about your visit, it wouldn't do me any good so I don't see the need for it, but you will need to do me a few favours in return. You'll find the instructions for six missions enclosed, just pick any three and burn the others. Do this and I'm willing to continue turning a blind eye. Do not forget who it is you're dealing with. The fly always believes itself to be free when caught in a spider's web. Remember that, ex general of the Empire, Najenda.

Sincerely,

Kaneki Ken

Najenda looked up at her followers and they stared back dumbfounded. It took her several swallows to find her voice again. "Lubo where's the messenger that gave you this?" With a grim face the green haired man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package. He opened it to reveal three distinct body parts. She had met the courier several times and to her horror recognized the tattooed tongue and disembodied eyes that had once belonged to the Revolutionary Army runner she had sent.

"The trauma," Lubo choked on the words, "makes it clear that these were injuries were pre-mortem, if he's even dead."

What ever remained of the jovial atmosphere vanished with that statement. Najenda was livid but need to be be cautious. Her spy wasn't a pushover and for him to be beaten required high levels of skill or a willingness to fight _very_ dirty. Of the six jobs in the file four of them were assassinations, one was a major theft, and the other was a kidnaping. She would need to earn some level of his trust before she could plunge a knife into his back.

* * *

 

_The Web, Underground room, 10:03pm_

"You have some exceptional will power to still be alive." Kaneki was looking at the huddled form of the unfortunate man. He was standing in the cell with the spy curled up in a fetal position at his feet. Yomo, still in his cloak and mask, was on standby outside. The only response was a pitiable moan. Why wouldn't it be? Kaneki had been surgical with the removal of the eyes and tongue. Everything had to be done by hand. There were too many people dear to him whose secrets he was responsible for keeping, too many people who would be hunted down like animals and danger beasts because of their unique needs. The offence was deeply personal. Najenda of the Night Raid had made the mistake of crossing him. He couldn't respect someone without the balls to face him head on.

He pressed the heel of his foot down on the man's head and crossed his arms. "It's filth like you that makes it harder to do my job y'know. I have to use you grunts to send a message. It's all very time consuming and I have other more important things to deal with than a few humans running around trying to kill each other." He angled his head to the side becoming keenly aware of how hungry he was. He lifted his foot and knelt down next to broken form. "Do you want your suffering to end?"

"Ugha, …ha… ha… Y-yagh" he weakly reached out a hand and groped around for Kaneki's foot, "Paug… pau-" It seemed somewhat sad. He had heard enough people try to speak without tongues that he could understand the spy was begging for death. He brought his fist down, crushing his windpipe and stood, rolling the dying man onto his back. Bloody tears boiled down his face while he asphyxiated. It wasn't a painless death. It wasn't a good death. It wasn't a pointless death.

"Yomo."

"Kaneki-san," the watcher responded.

"Take this to the Butcher, send the best cut to Gourmet and bring the rest back for storage. There isn't to be a trace of this poor bastard left on the surface. I have a letter to write and my condolences to deliver." The icy edge had returned to his voice. Yomo bowed and began to carry out his order. Kaneki paused before looking at his once teacher, "Should I have done it?" Yomo simply fixed his eyes on the younger with the same blank emotionless slaight he showed to everyone. "Should I have killed him?"

The older, taciturn, man looked down at the corpse. "Does it matter?" was his only acknowledgement. "I've told you before, Ken. Follow your own path." for the briefest of moments they were teacher and student again. A smile returned to Kaneki's face, the genuine one, the one that he had lost so long ago. It faded though, and the moment with it. Both men set off to their tasks. Yomo had the Butcher to see and Kaneki had an underworld to run.

* * *

 

_The Capital, Capital's Commission Guards HQ, 10:28pm_

Juuzou was playing with his knives waiting fo Shinohara to finnish meeting with the District Ward captains. He was never very good at being patient. The pale upstart was looking for some fun. After spending his entire life underground as a slave in an illegal gladiator circuit he was finally liberated by the Guards, more commonly called the CCG. By then it was to late for him. His owner had stripped almost every form of empathy from him and his morality was a wreck. He didn't really care though. He had agreed to join the CCG because it meant he could still have fun. There was also a certain man he wanted to meet again.

Just remembering him gave Juuzou exited chills. That one cold grey eye boring into him. He was charismatic, but that wasn't what drew Juuzou in. He was a paradox. Kind yet cold. Warm yet reserved. Compassionate yet cruel. Unfair yet just. Undeniably powerful but gentle. Yes it was those things that Juuzou wanted to experience again. The emotionless voice but vibrant eyes. He was something that shouldn't exist because he alone could balance his animal side and his human side, sacrificing neither but forsaking both. Wonderful and perplexing. The King of the Underworld. And above all, Juuzou want to fight him.

The youth set his head back against the wall and let himself slide down to the floor. The off white halls of the HQ faded from sight as memories swept him away…

" _As you can see, Sasaki-kun we-"_

" _San." the monotone cut through the excited rush of the flamboyant 's speech._

" _Sasaki-san," the older begrudgingly aquest, "we have a large selection of scrappers selected from criminals, as per Yoshimura-san's request. While the members may submit their own fighters we do full check to ensure their health and loyalty." They were passing Juuzou's cage. Mama had left him there while she went to talk to her friends. The indoigo haired had stopped next to him. "Ah, look! This is Big Madame's favourite pet. Found her as an infant you know. She's our top fighter at the moment."_

_The one with white hair closed the distance between himself and the bars. "Hmm, looks like a 'he' to me," the stranger muttered, kneeling to get a better look. Juuzou had locked eyes with him while the fop kept rambling about his unfortunate circumstance and Mama's preferences. "I, see." They kept staring. There was a deepness hidden in that gray pool that Juuzou wanted to know. There was a movement in the lower edge of his vision. Finally able to tear his eyes away Juuzou was greeted with an apple. Sasaki had held it out to him, giving Juuzou much needed food. The black nails were an intriguing contrast to the pale skin. When he took it Sasaki stood up and moved away. Before the masked figures had moved away Sasaki had taken one last glance at Juuzou._

_He had seen Sasaki a few more times, though the name seemed more normal than "MM" it was more than likely just as fake. Every time he visited, he would stop just long enough at Juuzou's cage to give him, or if seen in passing would toss to him, an apple. Clean, crisp, and red. He was always thankful for the gift. The image of Sasaki's grinning mask, and discolored nails, and the apple offered, and the very rare, very cold, "Hello" would be his motivation each day. "If I fight and I win, Sasaki will give me an apple later. If I lose and I die, I'll never be able to see him again."_

_Juuzou never did understand why Sasaki stopped coming until he heard from Mama the old King, Owl had passed. Later he heard speeking excitedly about Sasaki's "assention". He didn't know why Sasaki's absence had affected him so much. Why did he miss that feeling? What even was it? Why only Sasaki? That stomach turning nervousness that only Sasaki could make him feel, why did he miss it?_

"Juuzou!" The young man jumped up, his train of thought completely wrecked. "I hope you weren't to bored," Shinohara chimmed. He was a big man and considerably old for his line of work.

"Not at all~!" Juuzou called back. It's not that he was lying, the young man had just forgotten that he had been bored at all.

* * *

 

_The Capital, Hideyoshi Residence, 2:45am_

Hide rolled over readjusting his sheets and thinking about his conversation with Kaneki earlier that same day. A flush returned to his face as he groaned and slammed his forehead onto his pillow. "Nagachika, you idiot. Why did you think Kaneki would say anything else? Baka, baka, baka." He flipped onto his back stared up at the cross beamed ceiling. "How could a guy like him ever like a guy like you? Don't be so naive."

Whether he wanted to or not, Hide's mind moved onto lewd thoughts about the two of them, alone, together. "Ugh, no I can't he's my best friend. It wouldn't be right. Dammit." Hide tried desperately to think of something else but the images kept flashing through his head. He lifted the sheet and gave himself a once over. With a heavy sigh, he crumbled to his body's demands. "I'm not going to get any sleep tonight." He closed his eyes and laid his head back. "Sorry, Kaneki."

* * *

 

_The Web, 2:45pm_

Kaneki had the tome open on his desk. He had picked up a few rough drafts of the first chapter and compared them to his translation notes. The white haired man leaned his chair back and thought through the best was to word the new paragraph. A sudden chill ran up his spine. Glancing around to search for the source yielding nothing. He took the opportunity to stretch by getting up to double check the window latch. Sure enough it was full closed. He peeked into the cafe and that too was still shut up, undisturbed from when he closed at 9:40 pm. Absentmindedly rubbing his arms through his thin long sleeve shirt, he returned to his desk. "Weird," he muttered before returning his attention to the book.

 


	4. Kill the Lust

_The Capital, Royal Palace: Generals' Quarter, 8:22am_

Esdeath stirred and blink several times. Morning sun barged through the open window, demanding her awakening. Before she could groan and go back to sleep the promise she had made with Kaneki popped back into her head. She couldn't sit up faster if she tried! Leaping out of bed, Esdeath scrambled to get ready. Kaneki was the kind of guy who would leave without her if she was late. Somehow she had convinced him to leave the Capital for once and get some fresh air hunting danger beasts with her. As she buttoned up her captains' jacket it struck her that she hadn't seen him out of his shop in over three years. Ever since that kindly old man had died actually.

She swiped her hat off the coat hanger before rushing out the door, down to the stables. The groom was informed to have them saddled and ready by 8. He was a slacker to put it mildly but he wouldn't dare put off an order from her for more than ten minutes. Sure enough he was waiting, a pair of reins in hand, covered in a nervous sweat. "Good," Esdeath said when she was in earshot, "Tie that mare's lead to my charger." The words were harsher than she meant them. He almost tripped over himself complying with her demand.

Esdeath swung up onto her charger's back and spurred the horses on. It took half a second for the mare to catch on but soon both were at a canter heading towards Kaneki's cafe. A few minutes passed for her to reach the building from the palace. One of the advantages of being located in the upper city, she supposed. She reined in her equine transportation just in time for Kaneki to dismiss a large mass of people. This time she was genuinely curious. Very rarely was her once caretaker _not_ up to something, and this was a very big something indeed.

She recognized a few of them. Kirishima Touka, Koma, and Irimi, the long time coworkers. Nishio Nishiki, the newer hire. Eto, his older sister. Uta and Itori, friends. A young girl, Hinami and her mother Rykou, tenants. The Father ran a clinic that serviced military and civilian officers, though he was probably at work. The darkly dressed Yomo, standing back in the shadows as always. There were around ten or so others whom she didn't recognize.

"Remember your orders and follow protocol. I want a full briefing when I get back. Touka and Koma will cover the morning shift. Nishiki and Irimi the evening. Eto, watch the shop and Roma," A young woman with red-brown hair gave an "eep" when her name was called, "don't break anything."

"Y-yy-yes, Kaneki-sama!"

"Good," he said, giving a nod to Esdeath, "my ride is here." He walked briskly over to her and busied himself with separating the charger and mare. "If, Hide comes by tell him eight days give or take, he'll know what it means." Once he had untied the lead and swung up on the horse's back he yet again returned his attention on those now reading to dispers. "Peace under the Owl's wings."

"All hail the Centipede, King of the below. His power reaches the corners of the Empire. His many limbs guard us from the storm. Praise him, we who are his fury." The crowed vanished with the parting oath, leaving Esdeath and Kaneki alone. She had heard a similar mantra before, only that the initiation was from the old man and Kaneki and the others would reply. The opening was from the previous oath, Owl being Yoshimura. It was reasonable to assume that his line, too, had come from the previous leader.

Kaneki spurred his mare first and the two road out of the Capital into the deep forests beyond. They would spend the whole day together, recalling fond memories and just being as they were before the world changed them. Before responsibilities, when the only loyalties they had were to each other. Before politics, where war and border scuffles could separate them for months or years. Back to those snowy days when Esdeath would cuddle up next to him, surrounded by his warm traveling cloak. When she could sleep with a deep sense of peace held close by strong arms.

The white haired man was her older brother. When her village, her pack, was slaughtered this mighty predatory took her to his den and raised her better, faster, stronger, than she ever could have been. This man had played the role of parent, guiding her, training her, and rebuking her as her father surely would have. Their bond was deeper than friends and stronger than family. He was her ultimate confidant and she knew, she was his greatest treasure.

The leaves whispered hurriedly at their passing. Her war steed had quickly caught up with the hunting mount Kaneki was riding. The Capital shrunk away behind them and she let out an excited, feral howl. This world of war and strife was so much more beautiful when survival was all that mattered. Her companion had laughed at her outburst. It was so rare to hear him laugh genuinely. They ran down a fox or two for fun, furs, and Esdeath's food.

Five hours on the trail had left both riders and steeds in need of a rest. The riverbank they had stopped along curved into the forests giving plenty of mossy shady patches to lay down on. The horses were tied with long ropes to a tree in the nearby clearing, giving them both water and grass during their rest. All of the saddle bags had been removed and Esdeath busied herself with skinning the foxes. She would have prefered them to be alive but that wasn't possible when they were on the go. The flesh she peeled off in strips and packed in salt to spare Kaneki the nauseating scent caused by cooked meat. The man in question was lying down next to her, basking in the sun's warmth. His slow, steady breathing implied his state of consciousness. Her thoughts drifted back to the days when seeing him so was more common.

_She was about fourteen, Kaneki had turned seventeen just last month. The apartment that he could afford was in the lower city, quite a ways from the cafe he worked at. Furnisher was a luxury that they couldn't really afford. The space was a large single room with a small bathroom, Kaneki had insisted on a bookshelf, they had a small desk, and a half kitchen. Said kitchen went mostly unused aside for coffee and Esdeath's dinner. Per her own consideration, she avoided cooking as much as possible. Kaneki's aversion to "normal food" was discovered on their way south three years ago. She had caught a rabbit and tried to share it with him. When he adamantly refused she forced him to eat it. He became violently ill shortly thereafter and was sluggish for the rest of the day._

_On this morning she woke up clinging to Kaneki's back. He was still larger than her at this point but Esdeath was happily closing the gap. "Snowy." She said, giving the boy a quick shake. He only moaned at her._

" _Five more minutes, Esa."_

" _You're going to be late!" That got him up fast. Esdeath was nearly thrown off the bed but managed to stay affixed to the older boy's back. He ruffled her hair, a honest smile on his face, before swinging his legs over the edge and pulling his work suit off its hanger. The bathroom door was closed soon after and her caretaker was showering seconds after that. She flopped back down onto the bed inhaling her protector's scent before dozing off again._

_Sometime later Kaneki had stirred her to almost consciousness, "I'm off, don't forget to do your schoolwork, I'll be back around five and then we can go out for a bit, okay?"_

" _Can I go to work with you?" She responded still half asleep. Kaneki had bought books for Esdeath and did his best to teach her._

" _When you're done school," was his firm reply._

" _Yay," she whispered into the pillow. She had fallen asleep again by the time he closed the apartment door._

"Kaneki," Esdeath placed a hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"We have company that looks like it wants to eat our horses." A very large danger beast was slipping through the trees towards their makeshift camp.

"The you handle it, I'm napping."

"I would, but I'm not done with the foxes."

"Damn those things," he growled sitting up. His hair stuck up at odd angles and his eyepatch was on crooked. He had plucked it off. Before the eyepatch even hit the ground Kaneki was gone, slowing enough to reappear at the other end of the clearing. "Alright then, let's hope you were worth waking me up over."

* * *

 

_The Capital, Outskirts Mansion, 12:52am_

"So are we all clear then?" The other Night Raid members nodded. "Alright," Leone muttered, "First blackmail mission of three. Let's get this over with."

The assassins descended on the manor, dispatching the private army that guarded the premises as quietly as possible. There was a crate being transported in the morning and this was their only chance to intercept it. They weren't give a description of the crate just a,"You'll know it when you see it." The instructions were very clear about the level of stealth expected. "In an out, kill who you have to, make sure no one has seen you." Much easier said than done.

Leone had snuck into one of the upper windows after pulling a guard out and tossing him down to Sheele's scissors, but that was the easiest part of the whole operation. She had been crawling along the ceiling because the only parts of the floor not covered in traps were heavily patrolled with no visible openings. Lubo had attached a string to her belt so the others could follow her path if needed. When she got to the room where their target was supposed to be she found four men in white suits standing around, all but one wore masks. She slipped into the shadows as soon as possible.

"Naki," the one closest to the door addressed that maskless guy, "Wanna trade off shifts?"

"Sure, I could use some sleep. Boss Yamori is going to need me tomorrow." He turned to the two that stood near him. "Still feel like staying up?" They muttered something incomprehensible and the Naki guy laughed. "Okay, you bastards do what you want, I'm beat." He pulled a hand through his light blonde hair before reaching into his coat pocket and plucking out package the size of a ring box. "Don't drop it," he said tossing it to the other. The ganger on the receiving end staggered when he caught it like he had an iron cannon ball thrown at him. Naki left. Once his steps had vanished completely Leone gave a yank on the string and the Night Raid sprung into action. The battle was harder than she expected. The guy with the ring box was a match for her teigu and Bulat was busy fighting off the other two. Sheele had finally been able to move in with Akame while Lubo and Mine were securing an escape route.

Leone dodged a blow that shattered the floor she had been standing on. Akame rushed him and he backed away. The lioness had planned for that and delivered a rending strike on his lower back. Her claws didn't even break his skin! _What the hell?_ Just before he was able to counter Akame sliced through his front. Her blade didn't get far but that was all she needed. The killing curse did it's work quickly. With Bulat and Sheele working together Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum didn't stand much of a chance. They were downed before Leone and Akame had finished theirs. She went to pick up the "crate" and nearly pulled her back out. It was really fucking heavy! How did it not rip that guy's suit apart? Bulat finally managed to heft it using Incursio. The Night Raid made a full retreat, goods in hand.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, looks like I'm doing a mass update for this one, honestly have no idea 'bout how soon I'll get back to writing new content... Sorry you no get to see Kaneki fight yet but soon...soon. By the way the Commission Guards are supposed to be a mercenary police. I realized that might not have been clear...
> 
> Lastly, what's in the box? You're going to have to wait and see, hu? *smiles evilly*


	5. Kill the Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tatsumi is finally here! This fic is Ex for more than just violence y'know. *smirks to self* that's code for lemons btw *cough cough* TouKen *cough cough* I'm not that great at writing the "do" though, so... meh.

_The Capital, Army Recruitment Center, 1:43 pm_

Tatsumi sat dejected on the road side. All the bravado he had vanished in the seconds following his rejection. They had, quite literally, thrown him out like yesterday's rubbish. Now, there he was, with a can, begging for change. Some local type had offered to help him. She succeeded in running off with his coin purse. He groaned internally at his own stupidity.

People of all varieties lived in the Capital. Some good, others bad, and still others naive. Tatsumi had just left the ranks of the latter with all the grace of a drunken elephant. Where he would go from here was still a mystery to the young brunette. Those that walked by him either didn't notice his existence, or gave him a wide berth. Sometimes he caught pitying whispers, "just another country bum," or "Poor guy probably got robbed. Country folk just aren't ready for city life."

His ears reddened in mix embarrassment and anger. The one thing he absolutely couldn't stand was to be pitied. He was a warrior, dammit! His thoughts spiraled into a sickening string of insults broken only by the onsetting depression. Tatsumi hung his head, shame and self loathing choking his pride. What about his friends? How were they getting on? Where even were they? Stupid him had managed to lose all the money the village could spare them. He stared at the shadows, and the occasional shoe, of passersby trying to get his mind out of its slump.

Black riding boots stopped directly in front of him. The owner's shadow blotted out the sunlight, casting Tatsumi in darkness. Suddenly seized by curiosity and a growing sense of peril, he looked up. Black jeans were tucked into the top of the boots. The belt was a dark grey and simple. He was wearing a button down white shirt under a riding coat that looked to have taken a beating. Finally reaching a gentle face, framed by white hair, and cast in stony indifference. The single storm grey eye betrayed some level of interest. An eyepatch obscured his left eye. A female Imperial courier stood behind him, nervously glancing from the Chestnut mare she was leading to the white haired man, adding to the aura of authority he exuded.

Tatsumi swallowed. "Um, hi?"

"I haven't seen you before." The stranger's voice was a calm and even monotone.

"No, I'm from a village to the North East* of here."

"I see," He reached a hand down, "I'm Kaneki, nice to meet you."

The youth reached up to shake hands, "Ta-" A loud growl from his stomach cut him off. "Er, sorry."

The man's laugh seemed forced. "No, it's fine." Tatsumi almost yelped in surprise as he was hoisted onto his feet. He was left to stare in disbelief as the white haired man knocked the can over and with a flick of his ankle, almost too fast to follow, it soared up into his hand. The brunette noticed the black color of his finger nails when he poured the meager change into Tatsumi's palm. "Come on, let's get you something to eat," he hummed, clasping onto Tatsumi's shoulder to lead him.

While the youth was about to protest, he noticed why the horse wasn't being ridden. Tied to the mare was the head of a reptilian danger beast, the like he had never seen before. Tatsumi could only gape. How hadn't he noticed that! It was only half the size of the fucking horse! The older man had followed his gaze and with a dismissive wave sent the Imperial and mount scurrying away.

It took him less than a second to realize the white-haired man was leading him into the upper city. They were walking along a market street that lead straight through the military district to the castle. He was swept into a little cafe some moments later; the sign declared it The Web. To any country bumpkin like himself the oak and mahogany paneling, high crossbeam ceiling, supple furniture, and intricate frosted glass patterns seemed the pinnacle of opulence. Unbeknownst to him many of the cities wealthy would call the shop 'quaint'.

"Now then, Touka," the pale man called to a navy haired girl, she seemed surprised to see him, "get my friend here something to eat, please."

"Yes, Manager," she said with a slight bow after recovering herself.

"Manager?" Tatsumi echoed.

"Ah, yes." The white haired man directed him to a table. "Now, if you'll pardon me for a moment," he said curtly before heading to a door behind the counter. Tatsumi could see a stairwell just beyond. Before he could ask anything, Kaneki had already gone, and a plate with a gourmet sandwich and a coffee cup were placed before him.

"Enjoy your meal," the Touka girl said before bowing and walking off.

* * *

 

_The Web, 2:44pm_

Kaneki had come back down after a changing back into his formal wear and washing his face. The boy he found had almost finished eating and introduced himself as Tatsumi, self proclaimed warrior. He had tried not to laugh at that part. Honestly the half ghoul was just deciding whether or not to eat him. Knowing the capital it was highly likely that his friends were dead or sold into slavery, if not being tortured for shits and giggles that is. However, if there was any merit to his story at all, there was a chance someone would come looking for the brunette. Kaneki was anything but sloppy when it came to choosing targets. If he let this one go and his friends did come looking for him, he could lure them in, two for one. If not, one less body didn't make or break anything. All else failed he could get some victims liquidated from Esdeath.

Who knows if the charming kid stuck around long enough Kaneki might get a second chance at hunting him. The prey in question was none the wiser. Kaneki was a brilliant actor after all. Right now he was playing the part of a good man. A grim delight filled him when people bought his mask. There were flaws brilliantly worked into his persona, layers that would leave people guessing. They would be satisfied in finding the intentional cracks, looking no further, not realizing that they were dancing in the palm of his hand. This kid probably thought he wasn't naive anymore. He was sorely mistaken. Tatsumi thanked the predator for the meal, insisted on paying for it, and left.

Touka hesitated on the edge of Kaneki's vision before approaching the seated half ghoul. Kaneki had a smile that even he pondered the source of. "Kaneki-san," she said gently, "Why are you back so soon? I thought you had planned on being away three days or more."

"That was my intention, Touka-chan, but a messenger arrived for Esdeath and our hunt was suspended."

"I see…"

He fixed his stony eye on the female, to her credit she didn't flinch. The ghouls stared for a long time, neither speaking in the silence of an empty store.

"Well, since you are back I should inform the others. By your leave." She was walking towards the front door and had just started to open it when Kaneki's hand pushed it shut suddenly.

***POV**

Touka could feel Kaneki's breath on the back of her neck. "K-Kaneki-san?"

"Shut up," he said hoarsely, fingers deftly flipping the sign from open to closed.

Touka turned to face him, his ashy stare boring into her mind. She had never seen him like this before. His free hand tangled in her hair and forced her head back so he could kiss Touka's neck.

"A-are we really doing this again, Kaneki?" She could feel a smirk form against her neck.

"What do you mean again, Touka? Kissing?" The hand on the door dropped to her waist and tracked around her upper thigh, "Touching?" The younger ghoul gasped at his boldness, but that was one of the reason she loved him. "You turned eighteen yesterday, right?" She suddenly knew just what Kaneki was planning. They had flirted a little after he had joined the group. Flirting became interest as it always does, but Kaneki being a few years her senior had passed the group's legal standards** for romantic relations soon after the mutual discovery. They had kissed and explored one another's bodies before but never had they had sex. That was until now.

"Oh, gods, _yes!_ " Touka whispered lustfully. Kaneki lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him longingly.

When they finally broke away for air, her leader murmured, "Would you like to take this upstairs?"

"My room or yours?"

"Hmm, yours, women get into it more when it's in their own bed." Touka's room was her sanctuary, a place where she was vulnerable, and to be taken there, exposed and embraced, it turned her on.

"Don't be afraid to bite me," she purred running her fingers through his fluffy white hair playfully.

Kaneki had carried Touka to her room and laid her gently on the bed before making a show of stripping of his shirt. She flushed in anticipation. "How much do you like your outfit?"

"Not much, why?" She knew the reason. The fabric tore viciously when he grabbed it. Sliding a hand through the front of her destroyed shirt, Kaneki unclipped her bra, tearing the rest of the shirt off and discarding the underwear to wherever it landed. They were kissing again, her breasts rubbing against Kaneki's chest. He put his full weight on the bed, lifting Touka's waist and sliding a hand down between her painties and her pale skin. He squeezed and she moaned into his lips. "Rip it off," she commanded between gasps.

Kaneki complied, shredding the fabric free from her quivering form. He was still calm and that annoyed her. He pressed her down onto the bed, sucking and biting at her neck, searching for her good spot. She could feel his heat between her legs. He gave a sudden impatient growl, leaning back to undo his pants and kick them off. Touka could see all of him now, he was quite well endowed. A smile crept onto his face when he saw the way she looked at his body. "Like what you see?"

"Yeah," feeling a little playful, Touka sat up lifting one arm above her head and letting her other hand run down her side and in between her moist legs, "Do you?"

He pounced on her, slamming her down and kissing her roughly, one hand teased her breast while the other seized her waist. His hardened length rubbing against her sensitive entrance. He moved onto attacking her neck again and she rocked her hips against his increasing the pleasure shooting through her. She moaned his name. A warm pressure swelled in her core. Her mind was numbed by the sensations. Every part of her was being stimulated and Kaneki's touch set her skin ablaze.

She set her hands streaking through his hair. He growled his warning and pushed into her. A gasp escaped her. She could feel him hilt deep inside her. The muscles in her core tightened, drawing him in even deeper. Each thrust sent a shockwave of ecstasy agony through her. Her world became physical, the sound of flesh slapping, the moans, the heat, the scent of her lover, all of it drowned her senses. Her back arched and her toes curled, hip angled to receive him. Faster than any human with the endurance to far outpace them, the two ghouls violently, deeply, and sensually embraced each other.

Touka angled her head back in a silent scream, the built up pressure rushed out all at once as she climaxed. The flush and grip of her's triggered Kaneki's. He snarled and bit into the sheets next to her ear. When all was done, the sweaty, panting ghouls pulled apart and collapsed next to each other. "We need to do that more often," Touka sighed.

"Oh yeah."

* * *

 

_The Capital, Royal Palace: Central Military Court, Rm A 2:00pm_

Conference meetings were rare to begin with, ones involving Esdeath even more so. As a result the General in question hardly ever saw the interior. It was styled like a dining room with a large table in the center. Open bay window brought in a cool flow of air. Both Budo and the Prime Minister were already seated when Esdeath walked in. There were several files of her recent activity under Budo's folded hands. He was glaring at her when she entered.

"Ah, General Esdeath," the Prime Minister munched on a piece of meat as he spoke. "Budo was just telling me about that interesting hunt of your's. I hope you brought back something worthwhile."

All tedious pleasantries went out the window when Budo slammed his hands down on the table. "General Esdeath," he bellowed, waving a report around, "what is meaning of this?" It was the one Kaneki had filled out for her.

"What ever is the matter, General Budo? You have your subordinates fill out paperwork for you all the time." She slid into her seat, a coy smile on her face.

"This is different!" his voice echoed through the cavernous room. The chair he had been seated on clattered to the floor. "This man," he pointed at a file on the table, "is not a member of the guard, nor a secretary employed by the palace. This document, written in his hand, contains highly classified military information. I should have you court marshaled and him executed on suspicion of espionage!"

Esdeath laughed at the thought of Imperials trying to arrest Kaneki, key word trying. "General Budo, I believe that the officers code permits the consultation and informing of family members, within the officer's discretion, to acts, edicts, and inventions produced by the Empire. This spy, as you claim him to be is my family. Go ahead and look at the registrar. He was my legal guardian when I was a child. The hunt you interrupted yesterday, I believe, fulfils the criteria in listing legal guardians as family members with 'continued and active support of the individual(s) over which guardianship was maintained'."

"Grh." Budo's face darkened, his glare growing more intense.

"Now, now, Budo. Know when you're beaten," the Prime Minister waved around his slab of meat. "I'd say that this, Kaneki Ken, is just the kind of man we need. Imagine, someone strong enough to earn General Esdeath respect has got to be worth something."

"I don't approve of it," he growled.

"How come?" Esdeath laned back into her chair and crossed her legs. "It's not as if Kaneki ever leaves the Capital without my escort to begin with. Besides, he can't be a revolutionary, he's just as corrupt as any other official in the court, only he has a sense of loyalty and duty." She paused and studied the stalwart older man, "I actually think you two could become fast friends if you gave him a chance."

"Ha!"

"Oh come now, Budo, surely escorting Kaneki into the palace for a cup of tea wouldn't hurt anyone. If you feel so strongly about him being untrustworthy then you can escort him yourself." Honest had finished with his meat and was whipping his hand on a napkin. "I for one, want to meet him."

"Fine." The sulking General stormed out.

"Well, I think that could have gone better." Esdeath stood and excused herself.

* * *

 

_The Web, 3:45pm_

"You know you've put it off for too long."

"Hm?" Kaneki looked at the woman in his arms, her face still flushed from their second go round.

"A mate, Kaneki! You're not making any moves to settle down," her cheeks turned an even darker shade of red, "I-I didn't want to fool myself into thinking you were waiting for me, but I had expected… something. I don't know." She dropped her head onto his chest. "There are plenty of ghouls dieing for you to choose them, if not for yourself then choose someone for them, let them move on with their lives…"

"Do you really want me to arbitrarily decide on someone?"

"No of course not!" She huffed, "Even though we live in a civilized nation, our traditions are still so barbaric. If Yoshimura-sama hadn't been so strong, I don't think anyone would have stayed by him after he chose a human for a mate… You're strong too, Kaneki, that's why I don't want people to doubt you just because you haven't established a bloodline."

"The best option for political reasons would probably be Eto." Kaneki heaved a sigh when he felt Touka flinch. "She not stable though, she wouldn't make a good mother… But then, I don't want the group to split into factions. No one is supporting Eto right now but if something happened it could tear the clan apart. I'm not the legitimate heir either… Touka, what should I do."

This was the first time Kaneki had ever asked anyone for advice since his ascension years ago. This was a big deal. Touka reacted as expected first looking puzzled then shocked then puzzled again. "Find someone who you can fight beside, love, and have fights with."

"Have fights with them? That doesn't seem like it will help."

"Ha, baka, if you can't fight with a person then you can never really know them."

"Baka?"

"Yes, you don't see thing that are right in front of you."

"Touka, I think that's you instead." She pulled a face. He sighed again. "I was a virgin until about an hour ago."

He looked at her slyly from the corner of his eye. "Oh." Her entire face was red, all the way to her ears. It was adorable. "I-I always thought that you and Es-"

"What, ew, no. She like a kid sister or a daughter, that's just…" He shook his head violently to fling the images out of his mind.

"So… you and I just…"

"Yep."

"That was you're first time?" He nodded. "Damn."

He rolled his eye and sat up, running a hand through his springy white hair. "I think, if I were to settle down, I'd want a strong woman, one with a fiery temper but a gentle side. Someone not afraid to get a bit kinky now and then. Blue eyes. Dark hair. Younger than me…"

"Well, I hope you find someone like that." Touka got real quiet and real down. Kaneki couldn't take it, how blunt did he have to be?

"Gods' sakes, Touka, I'm describing you." Her face shot up immediately, eyes wide. "Honestly," he gave her forehead a light flick, "you're the baka here." Before she could compose herself for a retort, he slipped on his pants, grabbed his shirt, and left, gently closing the door behind him.

* * *

 

_Outside The Capital: Cemetary, 2:12am_

Akame stood, waiting patiently for Kaneki's contact to arrive. There was a nameless grave at her feet. A symbol branded on it that she didn't recognize. Just as instructed, she placed a bouquet of red spider lilies to signal the drop. The 'crate' they had stole was in a knapsack by her right side, her hand resting in Murasame's hilt.

She didn't hear him approach. Turning at the last second, Akame stopped the knife aimed at her neck by grabbing her assailant's wrist. "You have good reflexes." His voice was light and disinterred. His hair was long and a jet black. Nothing could be discerned of his face as he wore a mask. The black cloak also hid any distinguishing features of his skin. The pressure against her hand diminished and he slid the knife back into his sleeve. Akame released her grip and the man's arm dropped to his side. It still felt like he was staring at her.

"I'd like to make a mask for you." She responded with a puzzled look. "It's my hobby to make masks. My friends use them so no one knows who we are. Your wanted poster in town makes it problematic to move around but if you use a mask, your opponents won't know who you are." He pointed at his own mask. It was admittedly very intimidating. "If people are afraid they're less likely to fight well. So, I'd like to make a mask for you."

"I'll think about it," she replied flatly. It may come in handy.

"Mmm." The cloaked figure turned to check the 'crate'. "Seems like it's all here," he muttered bouncing the box in his palm. Akame raised an eyebrow. Just like those strange men at the mansion, he was somehow unaffected by the weight. She would ask but he felt dishonest, no way was the masked man going to give a straight answer. When he rose to his feet, he bowed, "Thank you for your hard work~" he monotoned. Akame bowed back. He disappeared into the night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for eighteenth birthdays!
> 
> *I'm not sure this is right and I couldn't find a definitive answer.
> 
> **The ghouls code of conduct are the governing laws of their society, established by the majority and tradition, upheld by the leader. Relations with humans are taboo but not illegal. Age of consent laws are modeled after Japan, look it up if you're confused. Leadership is primarily hereditary but ghouls will always follow the strongest/ smartest/ wisest.


	6. Kill the Suspense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is Eto just insane or really devious in this chapter, cause I can't tell. Also Koma is kinda a dick but meh, I'll redeem him later somehow. Lastly lil'Esa is so cute. There is nothing cuter than a lil yandere sadist xD

_Eight years ago, The Capital, Underground Tunnels, 4:46pm_

Esdeath shifted nervously, voices echoed over the stone hallways, sounds of a fight. "That's no good, Ken. Keep your arms up like this. Now, try again."

"Sir!"

She peeked her little blue head around the corner. Light streamed in from the floor below, casting long shadows on the ceiling. In the cavern before her, two figures, one large, one smaller, were sparring. Their movements to fast for her eyes to follow. Each landed and blocked crushing blows. The large figure leapt back from the smaller's strike, the concrete cracked and buckled.

"Ung."

"Are you alright? Can you continue training?"

"I-I think so… maybe now would be a good time for that break, Yomo-sensei."

"Ah, Snowy!" Esdeath smelled blood, her naive concern got the best of her, and she raced over to Kaneki. The young man at first surprised quickly became furious.

"Esa, What are you doing here? I told you to stay home!"

She flinched, never before had Esdeath witnessed Kaneki being this angry. His glare was plied from her face when the older man placed a hand on Kaneki's shoulder. He shook his head at the youth. Kaneki looked down, his expression returning to it gentle apathy once again.

"Who is your friend, Ken?"

"This is Esdeath," he placed his uninjured hand on her head, "the girl that I told Yoshimura-sama and Sensei about earlier."

"Ah," It seemed odd that the older man also had white hair, it was longer than Kaneki's however, "Has Ken been taking good care of you, Esdeath-chan?"

"Mhm!" She nodded emphatically, "Snowy is the best Onii-san ever!"

Her caretaker laughed sheepishly and scratched his cheek. "I don't know about best but-"

"No," Esdeath stubbornly insisted, "you're the best!" She gave a slight gasp when she remembered, cursing her softness, she seized Kaneki's bloody hand. The more she pulled at the skin the less it seemed damaged. Wide eyed, she looked up at him, confusion and amazement swirling in her icy eyes.

Kaneki wrapped his fingers around her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Like a little stone is going to hurt me." He made a show of laughing. Esdeath puffed out her little cheeks in annoyance.

* * *

 

_Present, Same Underground Chamber, 4:00pm_

Yomo, Uta, Itori, Touka, Nishiki, Koma, Irimi, and Eto all stood on a raised platform, observing the training going on below. The first regiment, a group of one hundred soldiers lead by Eto, were going through drills. They had to be at their top performance today. Anyone deemed to weak would but demoted to one of the other regiments. The first was the top, the honor guard. Their job was to protect the economic, social, and political interest of the leader. The elite squad, the very best of the best, would work directly under the leader as his personal bodyguards. Most of the time this meant working as a unit to protect the bloodline. The position was very prestigious amongst the ghouls, there were only ten spots, and it was often that those selected would teach the next heir the art of combat.

There were seven regiments in total. The seventh regiment ran differently as it had its' own unique succession of leadership and member were selected from amongst their own. Also unlike other regiments there were some humans within the ranks. All were servants of the House Tsukiyama, called "Rose" by all the others. Shuu, the current leader of "Rose" was absent as usual. This ruffled Eto's feathers to no end. He promised his unyielding support to her precious little brother. The least he could do was actually show up!

Irimi placed a hand delicately on Eto's shoulder. "It's not just you who's annoyed Eto-sama."

The female half ghoul heaved a sigh behind her bangaes. "He's ungrateful, that rotten Tsukiyama, my little brother opens his doors to those Roses and this is how they repay him?" Her grip on the rail tightened. The others glanced at each other probably thinking they needed something to distract her from her anger. But there was no way that anyone could possibly-

"So, did you hear that Kaneki-sama is deciding on his mate?"

"What?" All other, probably relevant, things fell away as she wheeled around to face Irimi. Koma had a broad grin, nudging Touka's side, like an approving older brother. Aside from Irimi, Koma, and a beat red Touka, it seemed that no one knew. Even Yomo look surprised, and his expression hardly ever changed for anything! She bounced over to Touka caught between furry and insatiable curiosity.

"W-well, Kaneki-sama and I had the time to talk about it so-"

"Oh," Koma interrupted, a stupid grin on his face, "I'd say you had plenty time for more than talking!"

"K-Koma-san!" Touka was completely flustered, very out of character for her. That's when Eto noticed the lingering scent of Kaneki coming off of her. She squealed like a school girl, clasping Touka's hands.

"You totally scored him didn't you?"

"I, ah… well… um… Yes."

The others began crowding around and Eto, suddenly feeling protective, shooed them back with a sweep of her kagune. "So," she had a mad grin on her face, "just how hot was it? One to ten, every day to never again."

It took Touka a long second to gather herself, she leaned in so that only Eto could hear, "Every day, hands down."

"Oh now I really want to try!" Eto huffed playfully. Touka didn't quite look like she enjoyed that joke. "So, my little brother is back home early and even had time to give Touka-chan a private _party_." Eto found herself giggling uncontrollably, certainly this would make an unexpected turn in her novel, based off Kaneki of course.

The information mongerer wealed in, "Are you sure he's going to pick you? Really?"

"Well, after we um…" she shook her head, "When I told him he needed to find someone to settle down with he stated describing his ideal and… I thought it could be me but…" she had a lover's grin on her face, the stupid kind of smile that a young girl has when their crush confesses.

"Oh. My. God. IT'S ABOUT FUCKING TIME!"

"Itori," Uta soothed his friend, all of the first legion stopped and looked up confused at the leaders. "I'm sorry everyone, Itori got a little excited about some new information." And just like that all the troops went back to their drills.

"But really, I knew it, the way you two looked at each other all those years. I knew it!"

"Knew what?" All of the present captains froze. Kaneki calmly walked onto the platform, eyeing the training.

"K-Kaneki-sama…" Everyone spoke at once and Eto made a mental note of it.

Eto, always a little brash and proud of it was the first to speak. "Allow me, as your big sister, to be the first to congratulate you on losing your virginity. Next, allow me as your effective second in command to berate you for just how stupid you are, fucking a girl before establishing a mated pair relationship." The others, Kaneki included were all taken aback. Her little brother started laughing, a slight flush to his cheeks.

"I guess it is an issue when I'm the leader, hu. Oh well. Not like I wasn't going to announce it soon anyway."

"That's right," Eto suddenly remembered 'marriage' tradition, the previous leader always announced the pairing, "you're going to have to announce it yourself!" He nodded.

* * *

 

_Night Raid HQ, Briefing Room, 5:00 pm_

Tatsumi had joined the Night Raid last night, he had seen his friends broken and bloody last night, he had killed someone last night. For some reason that grey eyed man kept popping back into his head, there was something inhuman about him, his eye was cold and dead, like someone who'd seen too much. He looked like Tatsumi felt. Their bodies were still on ice, his friends hadn't been buried. The darkness around that man, he didn't know why he felt it but, maybe he knew how to save them. "They're dead," he repeated to himself, "nothing is going to save them."

" _Oh, I wouldn't be so sure._ " His head shot up, eyes searched desperately for the source of that voice. " _Up here._ " Just above his head, dangling from a rafter was a strange looking spider, the voice that came from it sounded vaguely female, and the body seemed to be made out of an amorphous liquid.

"What, no, Who are you?"

" _Hm, a good question, you may call me Takatsuki._ "

He stood up and looked at the thing from a better angle, almost as if reading his thoughts the spider dropped another foot or so. An eye, a real human eye was staring down at him from Takatsuki's back, the scilia was black and the pupil was a glowing red. Something primal inside Tatsumi screamed at him to run, but fear and shock kept him rooted in place. She knew he was paralyzed and laughed at him, lower even closer until she was inches from his face.

" _I know someone who can help your friends, human,_ " Tatsumi's mouth was open in an expression of horror and the spider reached one of its' limbs into his mouth. He wanted to scream, spit out the horrible feeling thing as it _crawled into his mouth_. Tears welled up at the corner of his eyes, even his gag reflex had been halted. " _All you have to do is listen and obey._ "

Tatsumi's legs gave out from under him and he began to cough violently. It was useless though. Takatsuki had forced his throat open, the strange liquid nature of it doing nothing to go down smoother. Every limb. He could feel every limb in a cold, tingling contact with his esophagus. His arms could finally move enough to clutch at his neck in agony, tears freely streaming down his face. A bolt of pain shot through him when she reached his stomach, knotting and coiling, nearly causing Tatsumi to pass out.

Whatever this _thing_ was it felt like it was eating him from the inside out, and he could feel _everything_! No matter how much air he heaved out of his lungs, his voice just wasn't there; he couldn't scream, he could only cry, silently suffering. Soon a numbness spread through him, his body gave way and he slumped over like a doll that just had its' strings cut. " _There, all settled. For now you should rest,_ " her voice came from inside his head now, there was no denying it, " _soon I'll take you to my friend and he'll fix your's._ " The world spun away into blackness.

\\\

Eto smiled to herself. She was right about the strange scent in the cafe, the person it belonged to would be fun to play with, and not bad looking quarry either. Kaneki was going to be pleased with her, especially because he was a member of the Night Raid.

* * *

 

_The Capital, CCG HQ, 5:27 pm_

All of the big wigs had gathered around a single table. Shinohara looked on as the nobles and the Chairman bickerd about everything from army admittance to the budget. While he was not personally interested in the corrupt ways of the state he had to be paying attention for Juuzou's sake. Many of the structural changes would affect him directly. "Have you confirmed a laboratory space for Dr. Stylish yet?" One of the corpulent aristocrats asked.

"Yes, we look forward to developing new, more effective methods of protecting the citizenry." The Chairman himself responded. The elder man nodded to another senior investigator, Mado Kureo, giving him the floor.

The white haired, weapon maniac stood, a sadistic grin on his face. "As proof of our continued usefulness to the crown, I would like to present on the CCG's behalf our latest breakthrough. We have identified the culprit behind the mass disappearances in the Capital, The Cannibal's Restaurant." He walked forward before rolling out a map on the table. "This establishment is run by the same underground ring involved with the illegal Gladiator fights. Those who we captured during the raid two years ago all committed suicide in a strange, unexplainable way, but one talked after a few days of persuading. 'Praise him, we who are his fury.' is all he would say, the next day he was found decapitated in his cell, his entire back effectively pummeled to a paste. This is how all of them were found within the next twenty four hours. Now it seems a group has located their base of operations to the southern upper class district." He placed a finger on the map. "All of this information is sound, but for the sake of the investigations ongoing security, that's all we're at liberty to discuss at the moment." With that Mado returned to his seat.

"We will be raiding the Restaurant within the week." The Chairman stood and dismissed himself, and by proxy the rest of the CCG, after the announcement.

As Shinohara stood to leave Juuzou tugged on his sleeve, "Do you think Sasaki-san will be there?"

"Who knows, maybe." He was seriously concerned with the amount of reverence the young investigator had for the organization head. It would certainly save trouble if Sasaki Haise, the Centipede was there. If you want to kill a snake, cut off its' head, after all. Wait much longer and there may be a competent successor. The CCG had gotten close to hunting down Old Owl, the previous leader but once Centipede took over everything, all their informants, their spies, everyone ever sent into the Clan's territory was either found dead, horrifically mutilated, or disappeared. If those events hadn't occurred, it's likely that the CCG would have claimed victory. It was clear though, whoever Haise really was under that mask, he would be a ruthless opponent that made sure his enemies never got back up again.

"I'm going to fight you, Sasaki-san. Wait for me." Juuzou whispered excitedly beside him as they walked out.


	7. Kill the Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tatsumi just got turned into a human puppet... ew.

" _Someone save me! I'm unraveling at the seams!"_

* * *

_Night Raid HQ, Tatsumi's Room, 7:21 am_

Tatsumi bolted off of his sheets, covered in a cold sweat. His mind was still reeling, that voice, the spider, was it all a dream? It felt like someone was squeezing his heart. The brunette swallowed the bile rising in his throat, twisting his hand through his hair, just trying to get a grip on what happened to him. He laughed to himself softly, what a fucked up dream.

" _How mean,_ " Tatsumi's heart stopped, eyes widening. He could feel it now, twisting around in his stomach, a sickening and painful experience. " _I told you, you needed rest. To think you'ld forget about me in such a short span of time. Mean, very mean._ "

"G-get the fuck out of my body!" he could somehow use his voice this time. Maybe because he hadn't seen that weird eye.

" _No way, it's comfy in here and I don't feel like leaving. Besides we had a deal, right?"_

"Hu! There's no way I'd make any kind of deal with a creepy parasite like you!"

" _Parasite?_ " He had regretted saying that almost immediately, but the way Takatsuki sounded made him regret it even more. The pain was worse than expected, causing him to slam back onto his bed, convulsing in agony. " _Let's get something straight here, human. I am no parasite and you are no host. I'm a predator and you are just prey I've decided to let live, a toy for my amusement. A puppet. 'A man chooses a slave obeys' and you will obey me._ " The pain stopped and Tatsumi was left curled in a ball, whimpering. It was utterly humiliating. " _Now, I've agreed to help you because I think It'll be fun, outside of that I have no plans for you. Since I am in here,_ " he felt a sharp poke at his insides, "I' _m going to stick around until that's done. Do I make myself clear?_ "

"Crystal," he moaned between clenched teeth.

" _Good, now get up._ " His body followed Takatsuki's command without his consent, much to his horror. Any attempt to control his own actions resulted in searing pain. He really was a puppet dancing to this spider's tune.

"Just how much worse can this day get?" He moaned a little bit when pulling his pajama shirt off. The muscles in his abdomen were sore and the skin felt tender, like it had been stripped to bleeding. Tasumi stopped as soon as he saw his reflection, a large, clearly spider shaped bruise adorned his skin. It was a very dark purple, almost black in color, with a lighter red spot where the ires would be on that weird eye thing. Touching it hurt as much as any bruise would except he could feel Tatsuki squirm a little every time he pressed it, both from his insides and the shift under his hand. He was filled with the urge to vomit, to force whatever it, er, she was out of his body, but if coughing hadn't worked last night, it's just as likely regurgitation wouldn't work either.

He had walked closer to the mirror to get a better look than his odd angle allowed when there was a soft knock on his door. Scheele poked her head through the door, and upon seeing him topless flushed a bright red. Tatsumi himself was incredibly embarrassed "Scheele-san!"

"I-I'm sorry!" She slipped out of the door again, this time facing the hallway, "The boss wants you and Akame to go gather supplies...N-nice tattoo, by the way… I guess I hadn't pegged you as like kind of guy. Sorry again for walking in on you."

"Scheele-san w-wait it's…" She had already closed the door and her footsteps echoed away from the dorm, "a tattoo…Damn it."

* * *

_The Capital, Outskirts Mansion, 9:43pm_

Naki watched Yamori's pacing shadow, his eyes still firmly glued to the checkered tile, to embarrassed and angry to look up. "Damn that dumbass! If the fucker wasn't already dead I'd kill em myself!"

"I'm sorry, Aneki, I should have been on duty."

"Don't apologize, Naki." Yamori had halted his pacing and turned towards the roaring fireplace. "Whatever weapon those thieves used it could kill with one cut. I'd been you if Tahori hadn't traded shifts." The platinum blonde's fist clenched before he cracked a finger. "Those humans have balls," a twisted grin spread over Jason's face, "I'm going to chew them all into a sloppy mess!"

"Ho~? And just how do you propose to catch them, Yamori?" a slidy male voice called.

"N-nico?" Naki had turned to the open study door, seeing the effeminate ghoul leaned up against the wall. Creepy fucking clown that he was, wearing makeup like that did nothing to flatter his features. The young hitman was sure his boss kept the masochist around only as a way to blow off steam. Of course there was also a connection to the clan through him, but that was more circumstantial.

"Ah, Nico, I'm glad you're here. There's someone I need your boss to get in contact with."

The drag queen giggled, "Just who is it that the clowns need to call upon?"

"Centipede."

The smile dropped from Nico's face immediately as a shudder ran through him. "Sasaki Haise? Don't you remember what happened last time? I do." Nico crossed his arms, hugging himself. His voice was panicked, edging on aroused which seriously creeped Naki out. "What a man," had the audience to Nico's little freak out not been ghouls, they wouldn't have heard the breathless whisper once it flowed from stained lips.

"Of course I remember what happened last time," Jason almost purred, which Naki thought was odd. "He's that woman son after all, that's why I want to 'collect' him, but I won't make the same mistake. To think that Sasaki-kun was so strong at such a young age. He's only gotten more powerful since then, but so have I." Yamori turned to the other two ghouls, returning to his disturbed study chair. "So, for now I will acknowledge his victory and 'offer my service' in exchange for his assistance in hunting down those humans."

Naki looked to his boss in confusion, the light color of Yamori's suit contracted with the fire-lit, forest-green walls. Sitting at his desk, fingers interlaced, a menacing smile on his lips, and his kakugan shing with malicious intent, Jason was the picture of intimidation. Naki, obviously, didn't note all the details in such an eloquent fashion, as just the general menace of the entire look. "S-so, does this mean that-"

"We are going to 'become part of' the clan? Yes."

Naki wasn't sure quite how to handle all of this, but Nico seemed more than fine as he had ducked back into the hallway snickering like an idiot. "I-I will do my best to serve you, Aneki!" Naki shouted, jumping to his feet.

Yamori gave a sigh that was reminiscent of a father hearing a boisterous son's declaration, "Keep it down, you're too noisy." Despite the harsh words, Yamori was smiling, a gentle- well gentle for Yamori- kind of smile.

* * *

_The Capital, Red Lantern Distract, Night Raid Third Assignment, 11:23pm_

"I just don't get it," Lubo muttered to the group, when they gave him strange looks he cleared his throat. "I mean… just think about it, we stole a strange artifact or something from what seem like a military outpost," he lifted up fingers in a counting gesture, looking up as if that would help him remember better, "killed a corrupted family of nobles that tortured, killed, and ate people, and now, he's sending us after Ogre. Is it just me or does this feel like the normal targets." He paused for a long second, "Aside from the whole collecting the bodies, decapitating the targets, lighting the whole place up like a hay-barn, and delivering the severed head to our contact, thing."

"You're right, Lubo," Bulat said, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, "It does seem like Kaneki is sending us on the usual errands."

"Would you two keep it down!" Mien hissed, "I'm trying to watch just how badly the new guy is going to screw this up."

Tatsumi, who had been looking up at his teammates, waiting for his signal to go, made a mental note to thank Mien for her vote of confidence later. Why he was being trusted with the special mission, the brunette had no idea. For some reason his body wasn't in pain anymore, in fact there was a strange feral excitement bubbling in the back of his mind; every muscle screamed at him to chase down Ogre and rip his throat out...with his teeth... _what the hell_?

The giggling echoing in his mind told Tatsumi the source of his new blood lust. " _How does it feel then, little human? That craving for blood, for flesh? Will you give into it I wonder."_

"Did you cause this?" He had to whisper it so the other's trained ears wouldn't pick his voice up.

" _Hmm?_ " she sounded mocking, " _It's impossible for me to add something that wasn't already here. This feeling is in every human, however. Only certain individuals have the privilege of acting on such desires; you're lucky._ "

"Funny I don't feel lucky." Apparently, Bulat had just made a comment about his fortunes to which his response worked. Tatsumi heaved a sigh, very glad that Tatsuki had an impossibly good sense of timing.

"Well that's not the way I see it," Bulat murmured before giving him the signal.

 _Game on then_. "Don't do anything, damn spider."

" _Hmph. Rude._ "

The street was crowded, obviously killing him out in the open wouldn't be any good anyway. Tatsumi almost lost sight of the 'demon' Ogre several times, but somehow was able to smell him, getting back on track. It was clear that the man was effected, if only slightly, by drink. Something in him seemed pleased by this discovery, like a wolf finding a limping buck. What was certain is that if this 'wolf' wasn't careful, the corrupt 'deer' would gut him. " _That's it, track your prey until you spot an opening then strike._ " He clicked his tongue, resisting the urge to shout at his arachnid "tenant".

"Umm..Ogre-sama," he tried to sound sly but timid.

"What?" his voice was gruff and would have intimidated Tatsumi had he not gone through so much these last few day.

With a slight smile on his hooded face, the young man spoke smoothly, "I have something I'd like to speak with you about…"

"What…? Then spit it out!"

"W-well," he had to think of an excuse and fast. The one that popped into his head was absolute rubbish. "T _alkin_ g _abo_ ut it _in_ th _e_ o _pe_ n li _k_ e t _his w_ ou _ld b_ e a li _ttl_ e _pr_ o _ble_ m _atic_." The voice was his own, but the words weren't.

" _We need to work on how you react to pressure. I thought it would be fun to give you an idea._ " Maybe Tatsuki could be useful for something, though he was a little more unsettled by the fact that she could manipulate him so thoroughly.

"Hmph, can you tell me in this alleyway," Ogre said, pointing in the direction of a residential back walk. When Tatsumi nodded, they made their way through the crowd. "Hey, this place is fine right?"

Something like instinct raged in the back of Tatsumi's mind. Tear. Rip. Kill. Bite. Crunch. Kill. Shred. Kill. Devour. _KILL!_ It took everything he had just to keep from buckling under an impossible hunger. He was sure that his blood lust was palpable. " _Sayo...Ieyasu...Lend me your strength!"_ He prayed silently to himself. Something to diffuse the situation, fast. He dropped to the ground in a bow "I beg of you! Please allow me into the capital defense force!" Just in case, he needed to deceive Ogre with the truth of his intentions for coming to the capital in the first place, "I need to earn money to send back to my village, sir!"

The stiff, defensive posture Ogre had dropped immediately and he started to chuckle. "I thought it would be something like this. Then apply through the normal processes, idiot." The captain had turned his back and began walking away. The predator in his mind was chomping at the bit, wanting nothing more to be sated with Ogre's crimson life. Tatsumi was an assassin, perhaps such a thing wouldn't be so bad to give into just now.

"But…" he began to draw his sword, "it's so very hard to get in these days."

It seems that he was alerted by the rush of killing intent; the captain's hand was already on his own sword. "Isn't that to be expected? So I take it you weren't strong enough to pass the entrance exam?"

Tatsumi launched himself with a quick backslash. His face was the picture of calmness but there was a hunger in his eyes. Ogre wasn't a pushover however, and blocked the blow with his own blade. It wasn't enough however, Tatsumi was suddenly twice, no, five times as strong. His sword's momentum couldn't be stopped at the angle of Ogre's block. Warm red fluid splashed through the air. He grinned, his steps carrying past his target. Ogre fell, the contents of his veins coating Tatsumi's sword and spilling over the cobblestone. "I did it, better get back to make my report."

" _Not quite._ " Hu?

Ogre was behind him, and the young man had moved just enough to intercept the swing. The backlash sent him sliding back several feet. "DO YOU THINK THAT I, OGRE THE DEMON COULD BE KILLED BY A SNOT NOSED LITTLE SHIT LIKE YOU?!" Something was off with his eye, the scilla had turned black and his ires was a bright, glowing red. "The week do not matter… only the strong matter in this city! I PASS JUDGEMENT ON PEOPLE! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN JUDGE ME?!"

Tasumi's eyes were wide, that same primal fear rooting him in place. He could feel Tatsuki's disgust boiling over in a fury to parallel Ogre's, no, well surpassing it. His body moved without consent again, leaping into the air "Don't go saying things as you like!" He leapt into the air for a downward swing. Ogre avoided it, bringing his blade down with the intention of cleaving him in half. Tatsuki moved him to block.

"I see," the captain's voice was distorted, like Tatsuki's actually, "You're one of those Night Raid people, aren't you? Who hired you to kill me? You happen to know a lot about me… Was it possibly that bitch fiance of the man I had executed the other day?"

Tasumi was laughing… _why are we laughing?_ When did he start thinking of himself as a 'we'!? Ogre didn't seem to get it either, but there was something about the laugh that clearly disturbed him. "No~" The pitch and tone of Tasumi's voice was shifted as much as his male body allowed to sound female. Tatsuki was having a direct conversation with Ogre now, Tatsumi was relegated to a passenger in his own body. " _He_ sent this little puppet here to kill you. _I_ am here to help him do the job."

"N-no way," was he...shaking? "You're just shitting me right? There's no way! I'm to important to the cause! Ther-"

"Oh sHuT uP AlReAdY!" Tasumi's tongue clicked, "Where do you get off thinking yourself so high and mighty?! Drone's are useless if they can't follow simple orders." A smirk ghosted over his face, a toothless, parted lipped smirk; even his eyes were smiling. "Say. The. Oath."

"P-praise him, we who are his fury."

There was a burst of strength that tore Tatsumi's muscles under the force. Ogre's sword was knocked up into the air, and Tatsuki brought his blade right up to Ogre's throat. Some dark red, almost blood-like substance coated his blade, absorbing Ogre's blood that was already on it. The substance formed an edge that slid cleanly through the larger man's body, decapitating him and lopping off an arm. _What the…_

" _It's my blood."_ Tatsuki whispered in his mind. The fluid pulled back up the blade, burrowing into the flesh of his forearm. He at least had the ability to grimace back. " _Cut off his limbs, they are unnecessary. Deliver his right shoulder, one inch to the left of his spine, just below his shoulder blade._ "

"Why?" His body had already started acting on her command.

" _There is a tattoo that proves he's been rendered a corpse. Deliver that proof and your tasks are complete. I'll take you to my friend tomorrow, okay?"_

* * *

_Outside The Capital, Unmarked Grave Drop Site, 2:43 am_

Akame waited again, just like twice before, the package on her right, a hand on her sword, and flowers for the grave. This time the figure that met her, as he had the previous two, was seated on a headstone next to the drop site when she arrived, he made no show of acknowledging her presence until she finally spoke, disquieted by the normally chatty man's silence. "Strange-san, have you forgotten your knife tonight?"

"Hm? Oh, Akame-chan, I didn't notice you, sorry. I've been lost in thought recently. Troubling news and the like."

She didn't know why, but she suddenly had the urge to cheer him up, "I would like a mask."

"Really?" Although his voice didn't change, and she couldn't see his expression, Akame was sure that worked. Strange, as she had taken to calling him pulled out a pencil and note pad, and began to bombard her with questions that really didn't seem relevant. He wrote her answers down in a language she didn't understand. When that was finished, he took measurements for her head and recorded those too. "Thank you for all the hard work," Strange bowed before taking the wrapped up shoulder, and scurrying off, seemingly in much higher spirits. She didn't have a chance to bow back today.


	8. Kill the Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaneki is a mastermind >:)

_The Web, 9:00am_

Hide burst through the door in a fluid motion and dropped the massive bag of coffee beans he had slung over his shoulder onto the counter, "Morning, Koma-san! Is Kaneki in?"

"Ah, Hide-kun," the cafe worker turned from making a sandwich to look at Hide, an always pleasant smile on his face. "No, I'm afraid this is his day off, oh but he did give me something for you." He reached under the counter and Hide craned his neck to see. A large folio of parchment covered in Kaneki's scrawl and inundated with diagrams dropped onto the counter. Hide looked from Kaneki's work to Koma and back again with an elated expression. "Now, the Manager did say this was only about a third of the translation. That tome you gave him is actually a compilation of three different books, and there are a total of seven books mentioned in the later text… or at least that's my understanding."

"So, there are more tomes?"

"I'd guess so."

Hide continued to flip through Kaneki's notes, engrossed by the information. Without really noticing the blonde had dropped onto a counter seat and Koma began brewing him a cup of coffee. "Thanks," he murmured, his eyes devouring paragraph after paragraph. The text, translated faithfully, read like poetry. It seemed to be an epic about the Empire's first King and the heroes that went out to hunt danger beasts. In the margins specific notes about modified geography, political terms, certain colloquialisms, and even a modernized classification of any specific danger beast mentioned, clarified the authorial intent that would have been lost to the courier otherwise. Later chapters listed lineages of important figures as well as detailed sketches of their family crests. Hide picked up his coffee cup and carefully sipped, only half listening to Koma as he gave him a tally of his earnings for the month.

The door to the shop burst inward and a swarm of palace guards descend on the shop, placing themselves at the majority of tables. Koma busied himself with the noisy men in arms. Hide, a normally boisterous individual himself, had no right to complain about the sudden influx in sound, but it was making it very difficult to enjoy his reading. Irimi, who had just come out of the back, picked up on the blondes slight irritation and offered to escort him upstairs where it wouldn't be as loud.

"You mean the staff quarters?" He had seen the flight of stairs many times but hadn't even imagined what it was like up there. It was like being invited into a friends house by someone else in their family, awkward and exciting all at once. When the dark haired woman nodded, Hide collected his things and stood, allowing himself to be guided by hand.

The steps were tight and steep, folding back on themselves after the first landing. She gently pulled him off the stairs into a living space about the size of the shop floor. It had a combine livingroom, diningroom, and a small kitchen in the very back. He counted five doors leading into the room, three to his left where the street would be and two, arranged in a suite style to the right, overlooking the back alley. He looked back towards the stairs; there was clearly another floor above this one but it seemed impractical for it to be storage. "Uh, Irimi-san, what's up their?"

"That's the Manager's living quarters and office. It's larger than ours because it's made to house an entire family, not just one person."

"Kaneki isn't here right now… but…"

"I'm not sure about your schedule but you're welcome to stay until he comes back."

"Ah, no. No, I shouldn't impose. Thank you for letting me read up here."

"No problem, If you need anything feel free to call. Just leave the cup in the kitchen sink when you're done." With a friendly smile the cafe worker dismissed herself and Hide settled down with his translated texts. He was so engrossed by the history, he didn't notice a suite door open and a little girl creep out. She was standing behind the couch he sat on, looking over his shoulder at the book.

"Onii-san, how do you read that word?" Hide nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned sharply to look at her, she was about eleven or so years old, with milk chocolate colored hair. A single clover pin pulled back the short cropped hair out of her face. She was the quintessential little sister, a fact accentuated by her sweater that was just a little too big.

"H-Hi… this one?" she nodded, "It's read like 'He-le-osu'. Solaris and Helios are references to the sun and used as alternative names for this danger beast." He pointed to Kaneki's sketch of said creature. "It's supposed to be able to absorb energy from the sun like a plant and then concentrate it into a burst of fire. Cool, hu?"

She stared at him wide eyed for a second and smiled, "Yeah!"

* * *

 

_The Capital, White Suit Mansion, Underground Room, 8:34 am_

The room was notably large for it being deep under the earth, massive, red, iron beams held up the roof giving the whole structure the look of a bird cage. The tile floors, checkered and blood stained, was far too familiar for the white haired ghoul. Kaneki adjusted his mask briefly. Fortunately Uta had enough warning to make the necessary corrections to the worn leather. The ghoul artist insisted on accompany him to this meeting, as did Touka, and Nishiki, and Yomo. Of course, even though no one told him, Tsukiyama also came.

"Kaneki-sama?" Touka placed a hand gently on his shoulder, her fingers curling into his black pinstripe suit. His placed his palm over hand but said nothing, keeping his eyes fixed on the white suited ghouls in the room's center.

"Ah, you've arrived Sasaki-san, good." The sight of Yamori's smile sent a wave of disgust coursing through the leader's body.

"Where did you dredge up the audacity to summon me, Yamori?" Kaneki forced his voice into a neutral, icy, indifference, the slight dip of his brow the only indication of just how infuriated he was. His stride was smooth and dignified, slow despite the burning desire to rush the grinning ghoul and rip him into pieces. There was a table set up in the center, the image a single chair flashed in Kaneki's mind, drawing his brow into a deeper scowl.

"For a while now my family has operated separately from the clan," Yamori spoke, the smile disappearing from his face as he moved into a chair, a suddenly weary and anger look painting itself over his features. "I've no doubt that you've heard about what transpired a few nights ago," he gestured to the seat across from him, and curious, Kaneki sat.

"The Night Raid…"

"Yes, Sasaki-san, but something you might not know is that they posses a weapon that can kill with one strike," from the unsurprised expression in his eyes, it was clear to anyone that he'd already been informed of this. Akame, the assassin trained by the Empire and Muramasa, the one strike sword; yes, he'd known for a while. Kaneki smiled beneath his mask's leer, Yamori didn't know that he was behind the attack, perfect. "My people don't have the… resources… to hunt these bastards down, at least not alone."

"You want _my_ help? After everything you've done?" He allowed contempt to slip into his monotone, "You've a better chance convincing a danger beast to become vegan."

Yamori actually laughed at the comparison, needless to say Kaneki was not as amused. "I don't mean to ask a favor of you Sasaki-san, my people are strong but few in number, even fewer with the recent deaths; we would be honored to repay our debt to you, if the Night Raid are brought low and made to pay for what they've done as should be to all thieves and murders." The irony was so strong it hurt.

Kaneki folded his fingers together, thoughtful. This was the desired outcome, Yamori was dancing perfectly in his palm, it was almost to funny. He couldn't suppress his laughter enough, the low cruel chuckle bubbling mirthlessly from his lips. All of the other ghouls, even Yamori, shifted, disquieted by the sound. Those that stood behind the white suit leader took small steps back, almost as if they were expecting Kaneki to slaughter Yamori then and there. Almost, he thought to himself, almost. "The Night Raid shows some promise of usefulness yet, be assured Yamori, while I have no desire to help _you_ , that young man behind you," he pointed at Naki and the blonde flinched, "He was close to two that died, yes?" When the youth nodded, Kaneki stood, crossing so that he stood in front of Naki, "Then for you, I'll be sure they are avenged." He placed a hand on Naki's forearm, comfort shining in his grey eye, "The White Suits will become part of the clan, the clan is family, and we look after our own. Anyone who kills those that belong to me or mine… I will make them feel agony that no living this should _ever_ experience."

The heir's face flushed slightly, clearly in awe of his new King's promise. "R-really?"

"I always keep my promises, Naki."

Tears pooled at the corners of the white suit's eyes, and he fell to his knees, "Thank you, Sasaki-sama!" Kaneki could see Yamori rolling his eyes out of the corner of his own.

"Uta," the dark haired ghoul saluted, "write up a draft of induction with Yamori-san."

"Sir." With a passing glance at his fellow servants Uta sat in the chair Kaneki left open. Yomo gave a questioning look that asked permission to stay with Uta. Kaneki nodded and patted a hand on Nishiki's shoulder as he left, informing him to stay as well. Tsukiyama and Touka flanked him as he left.

"I expect a draft on my desk by tonight, Uta."

"Gladly."

The door to that damnable room boomed shut behind them. Touka pulled closer to his arm, pinching the fabric between her fingers. Her face said everything, she was concerned for him. The drained emptiness in his eye told her something as well. Her arms reached up to neck, unpinning his mask from his eyepatch, and pulled it down. She rose up on her toes a little and pressed her lips gently against his. Kaneki heard Tsukiyama gasp, _That's right, he wasn't there on the day I told the officers. Oh well,_ he mused, seizing a handful of Touka's hair, kissing her back, hungrily. When they finally pulled apart he muttered a "Thank you," and she hugged his arm.

"K-Kaneki-sama? What… what is going on here?" the foppish ghoul seemed hurt, like he had been betrayed by a lover or something. Tsukiyama always had the habit of overestimating their relationship, not that there even was one.

"You should really come to the soldier's training sessions like all of the other commanders. You'ld not miss out on so much." Kaneki turned his attention back to the woman clinging to him, "I'm going to announce it today, after the White Suits addition to the clan, okay?"

"I'd love that, Kaneki-sam-"

"Just, Kaneki."

"O-okay...K-Ka-neki." She was so flustered it was the most adorable thing he'd seen. He just couldn't stand her, she was too perfect; it was painful someone so full of life and joy could love something like him, and he lusted after that pain because it was just for him.

"W-wait, Kaneki-sama, have you selected _her_?"

"Yes."

The purple haired ghoul seemed like he was about to faint. Kaneki just smiled at him, the kind that was neither an insult nor an apology. Tsukiyama seemed to accept this, looking put out, reserved, and bowed at the waist, "It is my pleasure to serve the King, and my sincere joy to serve _you_ Kaneki-sama. I…" he dropped to his knees into a deeper bow, "I will die for you, please view me as a sword, useful but disposable."

He looked at the kneeling ghoul and then to Touka. She realised his arm and he turned to face Tsukiyama. "Shuu," the Rose lifted his eyes to Kaneki's own grey pools, "stand beside me, a sword is useless lying on the ground." He extended a hand to his servant who stared in awe and wonder.

"A god…" was a murmur that passed Tsukiyama's lips before taking Kaneki's hand.

* * *

 

_Outside the Capital, Small Village, 2 pm_

"How much farther?" Tatsumi growled to Takatsuki who seemed to busy herself with weaving a web in his innards. It was much more painful than it sounded.

" _About five minutes. He lives in a house at the edge of this place. You've done well dragging two bodies around._ "

"I'm stronger than I look," he grunted, shifting his friends' corpses to give his right shoulder a break. The muscles were still sore from his fight with Ogre. It surprised him that they were even operable at all. Takatsuki said that was her doing, she even apologized to him for stealing his kill. Really that's not the way he saw it at all. She clearly knew their 'employer' personally, he was also fairly certain that Ogre wasn't human either, and that he'd be dead without the spider's help. Although the 'we' from that fight also still unsettled him. He'd been adjusting to this too well. The thought occurred to him so suddenly that he didn't have time to process it properly, "Are you a teigu?"

" _What? No. I'm not a teigu, whatever gave you that idea?_ "

"I'm...not sure…"

" _We're here._ " The building she announced as her friend's home was more like a small mansion, it's location seemed even more suspicious to the young brunette. Two girls, twins by the look of it stood at the gate, bowing when they saw him.

"Welcome, Takatsuki-sama," the really creepy girls chimed in unison.

"They know you?" he whisper.

" _Yes, seems like it._ "

"You mean you don't know!?" That time it was a whisper-shout.

"Please come in," the two spoke again, "Father is expecting you."

Tatsumi was guided through the mansion into a celer, it didn't seem very remarkable at first but once they rounded a corner the youth beheld a massive and state of the art laboratory. An elderly gentleman in a pristine white lab coat was taking notes on the contents of a tank. It was filled with a strange gell looking substance with a humanoid danger beast inside. He looked over his shoulder and a gentle smile spread over his face. "Ah, you must be Tatsumi," he placed down the clipboard of whatever he'd been working on and made his way over. "I'm Dr. Kanou, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Ah, uh, yeah. I-I heard that you might be able to help my friends."

The doctor stared for a moment at the body bags in the raider's arms, "Here place them on these tables, and I'll see if I can get a better look at their condition." When Tatsumi had done just that, that curious old man unzipped the cases and examined the corpses for any major signs of decay. "Ah, that is fortunate, I'm not sure about the boy, but this girl's body is in excellent shape, I can reanimate it for sure."

"S-so you can bring them back!" This had to be too good to be true, there had to be a catch.

"It's impossible to bring back the dead son, at least by human means," the old man placed a hand comfortingly on Tatsumi's shoulder, "it is fortunate that there are more than just humans in this world." The grin had soured slightly and Kanou tapped his abdomen lightly in a knowing gesture.

"Do you mean that Takatsuki can do something?"

"Not her, necessarily, but creatures like her."

"Ogre…"

"Ah, yes, I do believe he's one of _them_." Before he could ask the doctor who they were he was being shooed upstairs, "Have something to eat, even stay the night if you feel so inclined! In the meanwhile I will begin work on these, Good day, Tatsumi-kun."

***POV**

Kanou turned to the new materials Eto had procured for him. The female was in very good shape and could easily be revived, with the right parts that is. The boy was more uncertain, he'd have to be care that these new puppets would turn out perfect. Human evolution was the end goal, to leave behind the corrupted and festering flesh of mortality. _A bird with no cage_ , he mused, _I'll make another, and the world will grow. Another light to guide humanity into a bright future. Kaneki Ken, that perfect child, I'll make another just like him!_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doc, you crazy!


	9. Kill the Assassin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, btw, I've skipped the whole marriage and stuff w/ TouKen and went straight to the "honeymoon romance" stuff. There's a whole mate selection ritual that I really didn't feel like writing. Maybe I'll revisit it with Eto but I feel the need to clear this up. Kaneki put a ring on Touka. Okay? Okay. We all know what happens after. That's you warning. (It's not long, nor complete, just a window into how I see their love life as a couple) If you want to skip don't read the portion of the chapter set in Kaneki's study.

 

_Outside The Capital, Small Village, Dr. Kouno's Mansion, 2:23pm_

Tatsumi had just gotten upstairs when he really began to think about what the doctor had said. Not the 'bringing back the dead' or ' _them'_ stuff, the 'have something to eat' stuff. That's when it dawned on him, he hadn't eaten anything for three days and wasn't the slightest bit bothered by it. Takatsuki's residency wasn't pleasant but it was possible her being there was stopping him from feeling hungry. It didn't explain the amount of energy he had, nor the lack of nutrition not affecting his body howeverl. "Did you do anything to me?"

" _Hu, whatever do you mean?_ "

"I mean, I'm not hungry or physically week despite having not eaten going on three days." He did his best to sound urked or inconvenienced, but really he was scared out of his mind.

" _Oh that! That's my doing. Human food is disgusting and I don't want to be anywhere near it, so instead I've been letting your body absorb me, thus sustaining you._ "

"W-What?!"

" _Hm? Did you think this was my real body? No, this little spider is the vessel of my will, a container made of my blood. Though, I must say, you're adapting very quickly to my power. Have you ever considered becoming one of us?_ " She sounded too nonchalant about the whole thing.

"B-blood? Wh-eha?" He coughed, the feeling of her limbs in his esophagus flaring up again.

" _I wish you wouldn't be so noisy. I'm like Ogre, only he's one of the week ones, not worth wasting time on._ "

"But what _was_ he? Who are ' _them'_ for that matter," his voice had come back once the coughing subsided, "A-are you some kind of danger beast?"

Tatsumi felt a sigh escape him, though he wasn't the one to initiate it. The muscles in his shoulders relaxed and his neck rolled to the side. A loud snap echoed in his bones as she cracked his neck, rolled his shoulders, and bent his fingers on both hands, popping each joint individually. "I _re_ a _l_ ly w _ish_ p _eop_ le _wo_ ul _d_ s _t_ op _s_ ay _in_ g _th_ at," she hummed, the change in octave hurting his throat. His eyes focused on a mirror in the hall and Takatsuki guided his feet over. "T _ell_ me, th _at m_ an w _it_ h _t_ he s _n_ ow- _w_ h _it_ e _ha_ ir, _wer_ e _yo_ u a _fr_ ai _d_ o _f_ h _im_? D _id_ an _y_ _p_ a _rt_ o _f_ t _ha_ t _int_ er _a_ c _ti_ on _f_ e _e_ l li _ke_ _h_ e _w_ a _sn't_ com _ple_ te _ly h_ u _ma_ n?"

The image of that kind cafe owner flashed into his mind. Sure, he was intimidating at first, and the monotone scared him a bit… but he was so… normal, average; just what you'd expect from someone who served the leadership of the capital on a daily basis. He'd been proper and polite, noble, refined… Was- was he really something like Takatsuki? "N-no." It was strange, conversing with a warped reflection but there wasn't a part of his situation that was normal to begin with.

A gapped grin broke over his image, the smile he'd felt on his face while fighting Ogre. " _Th_ er _e i_ s _yo_ u _r_ ans _we_ r."

"H-how many of you are there?"

" _Hundreds._ "

Tatsumi felt his heart sink at the idea of hundreds like the confirmed two of… whatever she was and the implications of the third. She laughed at him, both in body and mind, the rolling sound itching his throat. "You'll be gone eventually, right?"

" _Oh, don't worry about that, human. You'll miss me, you'll_ need _me, you'll come for me. Soon enough, you'll even worship me as a god_." Her voice purred in his mind, " _And I'll satisfy you again and again._ " He stared at the face in the mirror. Abject horror. Just what came to get him those nights ago? What did the world have against him?... What was he going to tell Najenda? " _Nothing._ "

* * *

 

_The Web, Third floor, Kaneki's study, 2:23 am_

Touka moaned against his lips, leaning against him as they kissed. Kaneki had come up to his study in the hopes of getting some work done but then she walked by, carrying her things into hi- _their_ room, in her lingerie. The last boxes had to be moved but the dust kept getting on her clothes. It was very late so he didn't mind the liberation, enjoying the view every time she passed. The last run however had them lock eyes. Touka dropped the box, and decided that he was just as done with what he'd be working on as she was.

That was how they wound up kissing passionately, Touka pressing into him from her seat in his lap, and his hands cupping her thighs, savouring every second. "Mmh," her voice squeezed out with his grip shifting up her leg, "Ka-Kaneki, please. Just for a little while."

"Well if you ask like that-" He cut himself off, prying a giggling squeak from his mate by running his fingers over her exposed lower back. With his other hand he brushed the content of his desk aside and lifted Touka up onto its' surface. Kaneki placed gentle kisses down her neck and shoulders, pushing her bra straps off with his thumbs.

"Being romantic are we?" He bit her collarbone in response. "That's a yes," she laughed her silver bell laugh and he trailed his hands down her sides, sending her skin burning under the touch. She bent down to kiss his hair and unpinned the cloth around her chest. Kaneki smirked into her creamy skin and took up her unspoken invitation, teasing her left breast with his hand. She gasped, twining her hands in his hair.

His other hand slipped between the fabric of her panties and the wonderful roundness of her ass, firmly gripping. "I'm going to rip these off you, okay?"

"N-no. I actually like this pair." She took a second to even her voice before whispering in his ear, "Sit back okay?" When he did as ordered, Touka stood sliding the wet, red, lace down her legs, dropping them to the floor. The face she'd been making, half lidded eyes, flushed cheeks, lips just slightly parted in a lustful bow, sent a fire through his body. This was one of the many perks to loving Touka. "May I help with your pants, milord," she hummed, teasing Kaneki by flicking her fingers under his waistband.

He let her pull his shirt off, undo his belt, and slip his pants down. Touka would decide when and how, all he had to do was deliver a reaction, much the same as what he'd done for her seconds before. Her hands glided over his torso, tracing the scars, before moving in to kiss his neck. He moaned slightly when she sucked on his pulsepoint. Kaneki leaned his head back against the chair as her lips pressed up against his jaw, small fingers curling circles down the sides of his waist.

She seized his length, leaping into a deep, tongue heavy kiss when he gasped. His soft growls stemmed from her palm rubbing him up and down, rolling her thumb over the tip. When they finally broke for air Touka whispered, "Wanna go in wet or dry?"

"Wet."

She grinned at him, kneeling down between his knees. "Hm, okay," she murmured, hot breath sending a shiver up his back, "I love the way you taste, Ken." Her tongue glided up his length, swirling around his tip. He growled again as she kissed his member, gripping the arms of his chair. Touka gave him little warning when she swallowed him, wrapping her hand around what didn't fit in her mouth, pumping in time with her sucking. Her other hand massaged his balls, adding to the stimulation. She picked up the pace and he felt her throat tighten. Even though they hadn't been together for long, Touka knew just how to send him spiraling in pleasure. He gave her warning with a low groan, but instead of pulling back, she sucked harder, swallowing down the sticky white fluid.

"Damn." He was still hard when she pulled back.

"Mhm. It was just like I'd thought it'd be," she dropped into his lap, rubbing their sensitive bodies together, "delicious." They kissed again, though Kaneki didn't have the same appreciation for the taste. It was clear that the ghouls were done with the foreplay. She shifted her entrance over him and slid down. Both partners moaned at the contact.

* * *

 

_The Capital, Lower Quarter, HySy Mask Shop, 10:53pm_

Lubo muttered under his breath about how creepy this place was, a sentiment shared by all the senior Night Raiders, if not expressed. Akame steadied herself, something about the place was peaceful yet terrifying, like the peace of death. The door glided open with a light touch, "Strange-san?" she called into the dark room. Her fellow assassins filling in behind her, Lubo taking up the rear.

"So this is their base of operation? Maybe a front…" Najenda looked around at the many masks lining the walls, a hood obscuring her face. This was dangerous and Akame didn't want to put Boss in danger but that was precisely why they were in Strange's shop. Several models stood in the room's center, one had a sheet over it. Mine, probably curious, lifted the sheet and let out a shocked shriek. A faint "Boo" queued the sword wielding assassin that her friend had been scared by Strange.

His appearance had been a surprise all things considered. He wasn't in mask and robe this time; his dark, half shaved hair framed his face, a silver ring was pierced through his lower lip, there were studs in his left eyebrow, and many other piercings in his ears. Burning red irises floated on a pool of tranquil black that sent a chill up Akame's spine. The brows that hovered above were just as dark as his hair yet thin, existing more as a curve in his face then any manner of decoration. His expression was the perfect neutral, the tattoo's covering his body giving character to this otherwise doll-like individual. "You came, Akame-chan," his voice came out light and even toned though nothing showed in his features.

"Strange-san, why were you hiding?"

"Please, Akame-chan, call me Uta. I thought it'd be funny."

"Well it wasn't," Mine snapped from her spot on the floor.

The tall mask-maker ignored her comment and slid off the podium. "There are quite a few of you aren't there?"

"Yes, these are my friends. I'd like you to make masks for them too."

A slight grin titched at his lips, "I'll see what I can do, please have a seat while I take your measurements. We'll start with the tallest and work our way down." His eyes darted over the Raiders, slight curiosity glinting in the dark pools. "There's one missing?"

"He's only a probationary member," Mine huffed, "he'd be getting a mask when we let him."

"Oh, I see." That dismissive answer only served to irritate the smaller assassin more. Again, Uta ignored her in favor of retrieving a mask from the studio wall. It was black with red accents and seemed to be made out of metal. The smooth curving features and expert detail work was handed to Akame. "Here, go ahead and try it on, Akame-chan."

It fit snugly on her head, curving up around her mouth, along her jaw-line. Only her eye's could be seen, peeking over two long bloody tear tracks. The tracks met at the corners of a sculpted mouth, coloring them the same dark shade. While it was fitted to her face so that no teacher or strap needed to be used, the dark material had been layered in such a way as to make her unrecognizable and yet detract nothing from her physical beauty. "Thank you," Akame spoke in her normal tone, that was to say, with no emotion whatsoever.

Uta chuckled.

The others were subjected to much the same random questioning that she'd already undergone. None of them made any sense to her even now. With nothing better to be doing and no word from Uta's employer yet they simply hung around, giving Akame a chance to watch him work. She was surprised at the speed at which the master craftsman completed his tasks, building frames that matched measurements he'd taken, preparing the tools and materials he would work with, all done in the span of a few seconds.

"Renji-kun!" a singsong female voice crashed into the shop. The owner's auburn hair tossed over her shoulder.

"Ah, Itori. I just finished with the customers, any news?"

"It happened!" she squealed hugging Uta around the middle and jumping up and down, "Oh my GODS! It was so beautiful I think I'm going to cry~!"

"What's all this then?" Boss Najenda spoke up.

"Ah, you see the Underking is getting married and we know the bride. Itori here is actually a bridesmaid for the ceremony. I had an assignment so I couldn't go to the reception."

"There was a big announcement and drinks, the whole deal!" Itori bubbled. "You should have seen Touka-chan's dress, she looked like a downy dove- No a fluffy white rabbit! Even Ayato was there, in a tux! Can you imagine, Ayato in a proper tux!"

"Sounds like a missed a lot," Akame could swear he sounded sad but with the monotone it was a bit difficult to place exactly what he'd been feeling.

"Married, hu?" Bulat lifted a hand to his chin in thought, "I'd ask you to give them our congratulations but I'm not sure about the whole 'Underking' title being a good indicator…" Apparently that was funny as both the maskmaker and his female friend started laughing, well in his cause more like a low chuckle.

"Don't let the title fool you," Itori chirped, "his Majesty is really a kind-hearted guy; just the leader of the clan and it's most powerful member."

"Do you think we'd be able to meet him?" Najenda's voice carried an icy hint that alerted Akame to her leader planning something. Though what is was, she'd just have to wait and see.

"I don't think that'ld be necessary," Another new voice announce, though it was male this time. He was tall and wore a white textured suit, a leering half-moon mask hiding most of his face. "His Majesty is a very busy man, especially these days. Sasaki-sama doesn't have time to meet every tramp and tradesman in the Capital, so he'll send one of _us_ instead."

"And just who are you?" Najenda spoke, entirely unphased.

"You may call me ." He lifted a hand to twirl a bit of his indigo hair, "Really, I was here to drop something off with Uta-dono, but seeing as you're already here…" He pulled an envelope from inside his suit jacket and handed it to Akame's Boss. "Ta, ta!" his chortled, turning on his heels, "Oh, and watch out at night. This city came be _very_ dangerous."

The shop bell clinged. The door shut. They all stood there, momentarily frozen in place.

"Geez, that gourmet."


	10. Kill the Assumption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So~, I was behind a bit on :re, then I saw some spoilers and had a character death ruined for me only to be like 'wtf'! But that's not why you're here. In honor of so much sh!t hitting the fan I'm putting in a bit more drama here w/ Ken, Shuu, and Touka. Also, for the record, I called Kaene being transgender/a girl in disguise. She pulled a Haruhi (OHHC) on us and just for sh!ts and giggles I'll be including her in future chapters. *Wink Wink* Oh, and there is a moment where an adult kisses a child on the lips in a very nonsexual way, just so you don't freek out when you see it.
> 
> *Ahem*, One last thing… STYLISH! That is all.

_The Web, 7:44 am_

Kaneki was vaguely aware of his limp body, the occasional spasm in his fingers or the slight moan that assailed his ears in the quiet stillness evidenced his half awake state. He could feel the blows, hallow over his torso, stinging in his limbs. The small voice in his mind screaming, begging her to stop. That woman, who was supposed to love him unconditionally, rained down strike, after strike, after strike. She always had an explosive temper, but rarely took it out on anyone. He was the exception, always.

'Mother' would beat lessons into his flesh, crying or raving like a mad woman. Somewhere inside he'd always know why his father wasn't around. She'd run him off, or worse. Kaneki, little, fragile, innocent Kaneki had been through too much for someone so young. Perhaps, the sweetest of ironies was that in doing this, she had prepared him mentally and physically for much worse abuse in Jason's play room. She was his example of a cruel hypocrite, and he was the same. He wanted to be loved, but he was more than that _whore_ would ever be.

As his mind flushed with anger, the nightmarish image of what his mother became faded away into locks of long purple hair and red rimmed glasses. A familiar scent, masked by the clouded haze of dreams flooded his mouth and nose. "Rize," he murmured into what was likely a pillow. His memories filled in the void of feeling and he drifted into a more peaceful rest.

* * *

_Kaneki was five and the alley walls sloped high into the night. The cobble beneath his curled up body felt sharp, cold, and miserably wet. Miniature tributaries formed as the sky cried with him. Though tears slid down his face, he bore a grin. 'Mother' was dead, worked herself to death, dumping him with his_ bitch _of an aunt. He cried as he grinned, and grinned as he remembered. Remembered the way that intolerable woman had screamed. He closed his eyes, clenching his little fists, feeling the knife's handle snugly in hand. His fat, pig like older cousin had been a much more logical target than she'd been. He even squealed like one every time Kaneki had plunged the knife into his side._

_Kaneki tried to sit up, wincing at old bruises and fresh cuts. Yes, he cried, only because he wasn't able to finish the job. He knew full well that he was one fucked up kid, but that's what the capital does to people, isn't it? Giving up on getting up, the raven-haired boy rolled onto his back and lifted the dripping blade up to the sky, as if presenting a present to a proud parent._

_There was a twinge of disappointment seeing the steel no longer coated in a thick, red, liquid. 'It is better to be hurt than to hurt others,' what a joke. Hurting others meant avoiding hurting yourself. If this shitty existence was all he was ever going to have then he'd rather die. '_ Yes _,' he thought, '_ I want to die, but not quietly. Some nobody kid in an alley somewhere, just like every other random victim found on the odd thursday. I want to be seen, to be loved, to die on the stage _.'_

_He had always been infatuated with his father's dark novels, a certain play was of particular interest, and he felt that he himself was the subject of some tragedy, for his life could be nothing else._ 'My life is worthless,' _Kaneki mused. "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying… nothing." The hand holding his knife dropped onto the slick stone next to him._

_The bereift boy hadn't heard footsteps in the night, light and quick, lingering a short distance from his head. "That's Shakespeare's Macbeth, yes?" It was a smooth female voice that caused his smile to drop, assuming on instinct a pleasant neutral expression that had saved him from adding to his growing collection of scars. Her head dipped into his view. Even as a child he knew her to be beautiful, but not just in the physical sense._

" _Yes," his voice had taken on another survival tack, that is a monotonous pitch, unreadable in all cadence._

" _Why are you lying on the streets? A little boy like you should be home by now." Though she sounded playful, poison laced the words. It would have been lost on anyone other than himself._

" _I don't have a home, not since… " he trailed off, catching himself before he'd said too much._

" _Don't tell me your mama died? No papa then either, I'd dare to wager." She knelt down, her long wetted hair forming a veil so that the whole world consisted of their faces. "Well, if you've got no place else to go, do you want to come home with me?"_

" _No." She looked taken aback by his abrupt answer. "My mother told me not to go anywhere with strangers."_

" _Hmm, if I introduce myself I wouldn't be a stranger anymore, would I?"_

" _I suppose not, but I still don't trust you."_

" _Oh you're a clever one aren't you," she fawned briefly, giving his cheek a painful pinch. "Kamishiro Rize," she declared, offering him her hand._

" _Kaneki Ken." Her's was so much larger than his own tiny mit. It even seemed that she picked her hand across from his knife as to have an excuse to examine it._

" _Where did you get such a thing Kaneki-chan?"_

" _Don't call me that. My aunt's kitchen. My cousin was annoying me and she was being a bitc- erm… rude."_

" _Is that why there's blood on it?" Rize whispered, looking intently into Kaneki's ash-grey eyes. He nodded for her and she chuckled. "I like you already Ken; can I call you that at least?"_

" _Okay."_

" _Come with me?"_

_He took her hand again and let her lift him off the slicked stones, settling into her arms. Though her body was warm against his diminutive, shivering form, something about her was so cold._

* * *

**_The Capital, Kamishiro Residence, c.a. 20 years ago_ **

Rize had been nice to Kaneki since she'd carried him off. He'd never seen her cook, nor eat before, and he knew that for long periods of time she wouldn't eat at all. Even though he had been living with her for more than a year, the half decade of abuse still showed on his pale skin.

Her house was expansive, which was nice, but his favorite place was the library. The Kamishiro residence was almost solely devoted to the space. Rize would spend her at home hours there and Kaneki was allowed to come in whenever he wished. He couldn't help but feel that this was what a mother should be like.

Kaneki had always been fast on the uptake for subjects like literature and history; certainly he was more well read than children twice his age. Rize took a special interest in teaching him even more, hiring tutors to give him a rounded education in mathematics, philosophy, and the arts as well. In a word, Rize was an heiress, most of her time working was spent in her private study.

He would sneak into Rize's study- though he never managed to surprise her- place a book on her desk, and climb into her lap. His behavior would never have been so bold before, but he quickly learned that they shared an interest in dark novels and to estimate when she needed breaks from managing the estate. She would wrap one arm around his waist and read to him. Sometimes they'd read the book together, Kaneki taking children and young men while Rize read for women and older men. She always sounded funny trying to deepen her voice.

Today though, Kaneki had been reading by himself. He'd just showered and picked out a sunny spot to dry off faster. Rize came in, and the boy could tell she wasn't acting right even from a distance. He placed the book down cautiously, moving slowly. He'd seen this only once before when she hadn't eaten for a while. She was walking briskly over to him, her irises shining bright red. Kaneki stood, doing his best to remain calm. The realization that Rize was going to eat him washed coldly through his limbs as she gripped his shoulders like a vice and stared into his grey eyes, her own burning with hunger and madness.

He was paralyzed but that was fine. He was afraid but that was fine. He was going to die, to be eaten, but that was fine too. At least Kaneki could die knowing that Rize would remember him, the one who wasn't running, the one who didn't care, the one who thought of her as 'mother'. Rize had replaced the previous woman to be called 'mother' from the day they'd met.

She hummed, leaning forward to sniff at his freshly washed skin, his hair still damp from the shower. Her fingers dug painfully into his shoulders, drawing blood, but he didn't cry, or move at all for that matter. He saw her, and she saw him. The death he expected didn't come however. Her eyes' mad ravings of hunger vanished, confusion and hurt flashing in their depths. Kaneki, who she likely expected to be, if nothing else, fighting back, was standing, unflinching, unwavering, staring her down with only a hint of sadness in his own eyes.

Rize was rooted to her spot, seemingly lost in their darkness. His slow movement surprising them both. Kaneki's little arms wrapped gently around her waist, dropping his forehead onto her shoulder. "It's okay. Eat me, I don't mind. At least my worthless life will be put to a good use." It was true, and it hurt that it was true. Rize wasn't human, he'd figured that out long ago, and then he decided that it didn't matter what she was, because she'd loved him and that in the end was what he needed, what he wanted. So what if the stage wasn't huge, and the audience consisted of one. That one person would remember him.

"Ken," her voice hardly more than a whisper near his ear. Her vice grip slackened. She pulled him back, before leaning in and pressing her soft lips to his, her tears slipping from their home. He felt his eyes widen in shock while her warm breath pooled over his face. "I'm sorry," her voice cracked as she pulled back again, suppressing more tears. "Oh, my dear Ken, I'm so, so sorry." Rize clutched his tiny chest against her own. He could feel the vibrations of silent sobs ripping free. She cried freely into his shoulder.

He didn't know what compelled him, but he placed a palm on her cheek, wiping away the stream of saltwater. Her eyes, deep pools of back with a red flower blooming in her irises drew out everything he thought of her in a single word, "Beautiful." Her brows tipped up in an agonized joy. "Please, don't apologize, Mama*." He returned to hugging her in time to feel the sharp breath she inhaled.

"Ken. Oh, Ken. My wonderful little boy, my darling, my treasure! I will protect you always. You'll never have to face this awful world without me, I promise. I'll keep you safe, always…" she started sobbing again, "always."

* * *

**_Present, The Capital, CCG HQ: Lab, 8:23 am_ **

"Ah~! What a stylish space!" A wild grin spread over his features, arms raised to the arched ceiling, gazing at the clean, stylized architecture.

"I'm glad you are enjoying our facilities, doctor, but perhaps we can get down to the matter at hand, Sasaki Haise, The Centipede."

"Don't interrupt me when I'm taking in a new work environment, Mr. Chairman; it is very poor form." Stylish adjusted his teigu gloves thoughtfully, making a thorough study of the CCG's laboratory. Every surface, metal or stone, had been polished to a shine and sterilized. Equipment leagues ahead of the Empire's weapons development awaited use in designated areas. Various platforms separated study areas, encouraging an efficient flow to work. Each inch of the massive underground chamber was replete with scientists all bustling about their own projects. Several corpses that had been badly mangled were laid out on the tables in the nearest station; medical doctors and morticians swarming like maggots, picking them apart. Another station housed a large rifle of some kind with a number of men working at adjusting the materials it was crafted out of.

There was a certain homeyness about the laboratory and, perhaps the best of all, the CCG was a contracted military with full permission to develop and test their own technology, meaning no regulations. Every manner of human experimentation, within reason, was permitted by their board. Admittedly, he'd been surprised when Prime Minister Honest asked him to join their military contractor's R&D department. Stylish would never admit to anyone that he'd not even known the CCG had one, though he doubted anyone else would have known of it either.

Stylish let out a slow breath before returning his gaze to the aged, and rather cross looking, Chairman. "Are you really going to stop every five feet to marvel at something or other?" The older man gruff voice scraped away some of the Doctor's serenity.

"I apologize for my bluntness, but before three days ago, I'd no idea your CCG was anything more than an overpriced mercenary police force making toy guns." As the old man's brow dipped into a scowl Stylish raised his hands in a placating gesture, "Of course I was mistaken in such an assumption. This is simply remarkable and I'm absolutely elated to be here."

"Ehrm," the Chairman straightened his age curled shoulders, "Well then, if you would like to get started on your work here we can have a station set up for you. In the meantime, get to know some of your new colleagues. I'd sent a missive to Dr. Kanou asking him to return from his retirement and assist our investigations but he declined; don't forget you're not our first choice, Stylish, and I can easily replace you if we don't get results."

His polite grin faded at the old man's words. "I assure you that I'll _get_ results."

A nod was the only indication that he'd been heard as his new director shuffled off.

"Oh, I'll get results alright…" Stylish glared daggers into the senile fool's back contemplating all the different awful things he could inflict when a tap on his shoulder snapped him to attention. A rather shabby, average looking, middle aged man with bangs that seemed to obscure his vision grinned at Stylish before offering his hand.

"Hello, you must be the new blood. I'm Doctor Chigyou, head researcher. I look forward to working with you."

"Hello, I'm Dr. Stylish, nice to meet you. May I inquire about where I'm stationed?"

"Ah that," he gave a half hearted laugh and scratched his chin, "ya'see, we've been having some problems with a certain renegade group, you've already been briefed on them an-"

"Ah, actually I wasn't. I believe my wonderment may have irritated the Chairman before he'd fully explained the situation."

"That's unfortunate...Hm. Okay, I'll start at the beginning, come with me." Chigyou didn't even wait for Stylish to start following and began to briskly walk away. He didn't get far before Stylish jogged up on his right. "So, the CCG was originally founded by the Chairman's family over a century ago and has since then become a mercantile force for the Empire, training elite police to secure the Capital during times of war and protecting it from _internal_ conflicts. For a while, nearly since its' inception, the CCG has been dedicated to research and development of weapons and medical technology, furthering our goal to maintain and protect the Empire. We are a separate entity, however, allowing for free reign in what we spend on. Like all institutions we have investors who urge for certain products and receive… samples upon occasion."

Stylish glanced through curtains as they passed workstation after workstation, catching glimpses of a few live human test subjects before coming to a stop alongside Chigyou. Before them was a raised platform on which was a glass prison. Inside a naked young man, thin and sickly in appearance stumbled around in circles. He had very bad injuries along his back just like many of the corpses the doctor had seen earlier.

Stylish couldn't help but feel a boiling excitement in his stomach; there was no way someone in such a poor condition could be alive with those wounds, yet here he was, drooling and wandering in circles around the perimeter of his cage. There was some incomprehensible hunger in the youth's eyes, the dull verdant pools overflowing with madness and pain.

"This is one of our recent prisoners. Subject 12204. Before you ask, no we don't know how he got injured, nor how he is alive at present. Despite the nature of such injuries, and that every other suspect captured died from them, they don't help in identifying the cause. As a specialist on human augmentation, we were hoping that you'd be able to provide advisement." Chigyou was looking down at some data charts he had on the imprisoned figure.

"Is that rot?" Stylish had only been half listening and walked closer to the structure. The wounds on Subject 12204's back were clearly festering, pus and other vile body fluids coagulated along his exposed spine. The torn skin and muscle tissue dangled in little chunks towards the lower half of the injury. His eyes locked with the subject's now no longer vacant stare. It started salivating more, every muscle seemed to tense in its' body as Stylish got closer.

"Yes, the infection seems to be killing hi- Ah! Stylish! Get back he going to-"

A loud, feral shriek cut Chigyou off as it charged at Stylish, slamming into the glass wall. The glasses wearing doctor leapt back with the sudden crack and give of the youth's prison. He was left to stare into wild, inhuman eyes as it slobbered and lifted its' fist for another blow on the caving glass.

"Quick! Close the shutters! The subject is waking up!"

A large, thick metal sheet slammed down over each of the glass walls. There was a panicked pounding from the other side, coupled with more enraged and maddened gibberish. All of the scientists had momentarily stopped their work, each a mixture of petrified and eager evident on their faces, much the same as Stylish himself. "What was that?"

"We're not sure, to be honest. He's the only one to survive this long but all the other subjects showed either extreme lethargy or extreme aggression with no clear pattern in age or gender." He placed a hand on Stylish's shoulder, pulling him back over a line he hadn't noticed before. "Rarely they say something coherent but it's all mad ramblings in the end." The screaming and pounding died down as the seconds dragged on. "As far as we know, it's some kind of artificial tiegu, at least that's the most logical theory at the moment."

Stylish returned his gaze to the metal sheets and his eyes widened despite himself. There were several shallow dents in the plate where it had been hit from the other side. Faint muttering was heard in the stillness that followed, "Ahgh, I-I'm so… so hngu… hungry. I-I… it hurts. Ugha, p-praise him… wa- we who a-are his fury."

"Praise him, we who are his fury?"

"You heard him too then. They all said that, or left some other message written in their own blood before they died. We think it's a reference to Sasaki Haise, the current leader of this group. The subjects are suspected members of the Circle. He took over after we finally hunted down Owl, the previous leader. Kanou actually still has the old man's body if I'm not mistaken. Unfortunately we failed at exterminating the remaining members when Sasaki took over. All our inside men disappeared or were killed and they completely reworked their methods, making it impossible to track them. Poof! They all vanished, but make no mistake, Dr. Stylish, these… things are still out there, and they want nothing more than to kill us all."

"Things?"

Chigyou dropped his voice so only Stylish could here, "Don't go letting it affect your work but… you've seen Subject 12204's eyes right? Do you honestly believe that those were human eyes? Black and red like that, and then there's the very fact that he can do that much damage," he subtly gestured to the dented steel with a flick of his fingers, "while severely injured." The scientist shuddered slightly. "I'm going to visit Kanou personally for the next few days. He's been studying these occurrences in more detail from a biological standpoint. I feel we can crack this thing with the two of you working together."

"I see. What am I to do in the lab while you're gone."

"I'll be putting you in charge of him," he pointed to the sealed container, "and the other bodies. Do what you think needs to be done. I'll be back before the end of the week." With that he dismissed himself to pack and Stylish grinned to himself. He now had free reign of the laboratory.

"I wonder what kind of Advanced soldiers I could make with those." The research opportunities were limitless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Just a thing in my head, but I think one reason why Rize didn't nom on Kaneki, aside from plot armor and his natural Charisma there, is he reminded her of the child she lost. (Yes, I envision Rize as being a mother before and her binge eating caused the CCG to hunt her down. Being strong as she was, she was able to fend them off with relative ease while her mate fled with their child. He and the child are killed. When Kaneki calls her 'Mama' she cries harder because she's been given another child to raise and mend her broken heart. (This would also be the first time Kaneki has called her any form of mother) Also, it should be pretty obvious that even in death, Rize keeps her promise to Kaneki. <3 & 3


	11. Kill the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eto gets her shit slapped. Kaneki and her have a heart to heart a little later.

_A Road to the Capital, 9:22am_

Tatsumi heaved a sigh, plodding through the mud. Exhaustion had finally started to catch up with him and hunger gnawed at his gut. At least that meant the spider was gone. What she said about him begging her for more was really unsettling, so much so that he'd hardly gotten any sleep last night.

The doctor let him stay overnight and promised to get in contact about his friends as soon as he made any breakthroughs. Tatsumi had been encouraged not to get his hopes up but the prospect of them coming back to life was too tantalizing not to get excited over. He smiled genuinely for the first time in days.

Tatsumi froze when he heard a shout from a few meters ahead. Charging through the brush was a large danger beast chasing a scrawny looking middle aged man. He sprung into action without a second thought, dashing past the fleeing traveler, drawing his sword, and cleaving the beast's head off with a single clean strike.

"Wow, that's some skill you've got there."

"Eh, thanks. Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Chigyou," the man stuck out his hand, probably expecting a shake and upon getting none let it drop to his side awkwardly, "one of the researchers of the Capital Commision Guard. I was on my way to see an old colleague of mine when that thing attacked me. I almost lost my lab notes, too." He gave a nervous sigh and a light chuckle. "Thank you for saving me, Mr…"

"Tatsumi."

"Hmm. That's a nice name." He extended a hand again and Tatsumi shook it this time, not sure how he felt about someone from the Capital's police force, even if it was just a lab worker. Before they could continue any form of conversation, Tatsumi's stomach protested being empty in a rather loud growl. He felt his face flush, that was the second time something like this had happened to him.

Chigyou laughed it off however. "Yeah, I'm hungry too. All that running worked up an appetite. Care to join me?"

"I'd hate for you to get attacked by another danger beast."

They both laughed as the older man set out his lunch. When he realized that Tatsumi didn't actually have anything to eat he insisted on sharing. The food certainly looked appetizing but the youth still waited for the doctor to eat some before trusting it himself.

Tatsumi nearly gagged at the taste but forced it down anyway. Eating that little bit made him hungrier but he just couldn't stomach any more than a few bites; it felt like he was going to be sick. "So, who is this colleague you're going to visit?" He'd hoped that getting him mind off the food would help settle his gut.

"Oh, he's a brilliant man by the name of Kanou."

Tatsumi felt his blood run cold for a second, the world darkened and he felt dizzy.

"Hey, kid are you alright?" Chigyou sounded like he was on the other end of a tunnel. Tatsumi couldn't keep a grasp of what was going on and he blacked out. The last coherent thought in his head was, _Man, I'm hungry._

When he jolted awake he was underneath a tree on a hill with a sweeping view of the Capital. There was a sharp taste of iron in his mouth and blood smeared in the corner of his lips. His throat knotted up with worry. He didn't remember continuing his trip and he wasn't hungry anymore.

* * *

 

_The Web, 9:40 am_

The quaint little cafe hadn't been what Honest expected from Kaneki, much less Esdeath. Really he just wanted to meet the man who'd turned down every polite invitation he'd given to the Imperial Palace but he hadn't thought Kaneki would live so _quietly_.

Today he'd convinced the Emperor to formulate an elite police force of teigu wielders in joint with the CCG and have them all gather in the local shop. Both he and Esdeath were seated at an extended table. From his arrival the only other person in the shop aside from the general was a thinly built man in his late twenties working at the counter. He'd not spoken a word to either of them, merely bringing over a plate of sandwiches after Honest had sat down.

He was, in a word, disappointed. A whole twenty minutes of waiting ahead of him and nobody of any worth to converse with. The sandwiches were good however.

After ten minutes of sitting in silence the first man arrive, Boris from the torture pits. Esdeath was already familiar with him, to an extent, so she nodded and he pulled up a seat. As soon as he was seated the white haired attendant walked over with a fresh cup of tea and place it on the table in front of Boris.

The next to arrive was the team's assassin accompanied by the justice happy girl. Much in a similar fashion they said nothing outside slight greetings and were given something to drink immediately upon sitting.

Honest grumbled to himself about nothing in particular just to pass the time. The next person to show up was a teacher named Run and a young sailor, Wave. Once they joined the group conversation began in a low hum.

This time Honest kept his eyes on the server, his posture, the way he walked, how he looked at people. His manner was quiet, unassuming, the black eyepatch being the most noticeable feature of his otherwise plain and forgettable expressions. He moved like someone raised in the lower working class, easily missed or ignored. Once he stepped back into the background where no one would bother to watch, his posture changed into something princely. He moved with the grace of a nobleman. What used to be boring features became the hard face of someone who was superior in every way and confident in that superiority.

Honest felt his eyes widen slightly at the thought that popped into his head. Was it possible that Kaneki had been serving them? This was his restaurant but to think the owner himself would be working in a grunt position? Preposterous by the Capital's standards of hierarchy.

Dr. Stylish was the last to enter. The atmosphere lost the oppressive stiffness and had become relaxed by then. It made sense that the justice happy girl stood from her seat to greet Stylish. They did have history. What Honest hadn't expected was for Kaneki, or who he suspected to be Kaneki, to come up behind her and slide the chair in for her once she returned to the seat. "Oh, thank you."

"No need."

It was the first time the man spoke, giving everyone a clear idea of his gentle monotone. The more Honest thought about it, the less he seemed like a warrior and the more he seemed like a dispossessed noble. It was certainly odd.

"Snowy," Esdeath broke the silence that fell again, "perhaps more sandwiches now that we're all here."

"Of course, Esa." He moved off and everyone was left staring between the General and the cafe worker.

"G-General," Stylish was the first to voice their thoughts, "did that _cretan_ just call you by a _pet_ _name_?" His voice took on a shrill, agast tone. Probably something about how unstylish the server was running through the doctor's mind.

"Oh, Doctor, I'd be careful of who you call a cretan. I've no doubt that Snowy heard you. He might do something to your food now."

"I wouldn't do that," the light voice of 'Snowy' called back to the table from where he was working. The sound of a knife cleaving through a cut of meat punctuated his words. "My cafe would lose its' reputation and you know how hard it is to earn one of those." He lifted a tray of freshly put together appetizers onto his shoulder and walked back to place it on their table. "Anything else?"

"Some coffee would be nice. Get some for the Prime Minister too, I'm sure he'd love to try it."

The waiter bowed almost mockingly and headed into the back. They could all hear the crunch of the coffee grinder. A heavenly smell suffused the whole interior. When their server came back he was not attired as a worker, but rather in black dress pants, an embroidered white button up, and an elaborate light gray silk waist coat. The gold chain of a pocket watch peeked out of his right pocket. And a bright red tie was tucked under the neutral colored fabric. He certainly looked like a noble now and he didn't walk like a server anymore either.

He had three coffee mugs in his left hand, carrying a fresh pot in his right. With a flourish that only experience could bring, he poured all three cups without spilling a single drop while on their way to the prospective drinkers. The last cup he kept and he place the pot down on the table in easy reach of both the General and Honest.

"Allow me to introduce a close personal friend, older brother, and adoptive father, Kaneki Ken." Esdeath said gesturing to the still standing white-hair man.

"A friend?" Justice girl asked, Honest hadn't really ever bothered to learn her name.

"Brother?" Stylish chimed, seemingly curious and a little less like his sensibilities had been offended.

Wave coughed as he'd been drinking some water, "F-Father?"

Kaneki gave a forced laugh, waving a hand in a calming motion to the young man, "I don't really consider myself Esa's father either, but she insists."

"Snowy taught me nearly everything I know."

"Really?" Run seemed to have a particular interest.

"Yes, I made it a point to teach Esa everything she could possibly need." Kaneki had pulled up a chair, sitting at the head of the table with Honest to his left and Esdeath his right. Run was all the way at the other end, effectively roping everyone into a conversation. Or at least forcing them to spectate.

What initiated from there was a battle of wits. Honest only understood half of the references and quotations made, but the entire exchange was conducted solely in rhetoric. Run finally admitted defeat after Kaneki had cited an ancient work he was unfamiliar with. "I have a copy of the translation if you'd like to read it later."

"Yes, I would love that. Would you mind if I asked about your education, you seem very well read for someone only a few years my senior."

Kaneki remained quiet for a moment, staring into his cup. "I had a very loving mother."

"You were taught at home then?"

"Yes, the same way I taught Esa." Kaneki seemed to brighten a bit, but that sinister silence still hung around him.

Honest finally saw his time to speak. "Kaneki-san, I understand you are a very talented fighter and tactician. As you can see these individuals are in need of such a man. I am willing to offer one request for anything you want, a decent military pension, the rank of captain under General Esdeath, and a position on this task force."

"I assume this has all been run past you, Esa?"

"Guilty," she smirked at the hard expression the owner had given her.

Kaneki closed his eye and seemed to be mulling something over. "Is it possible for me to have more time to decide, Prime Minister? There have been a lot of big changes recently an-"

The front door to the shop swung in with a loud bang, cutting Kaneki off. Honest's back was facing whoever had intruded, giving him a clear sight to the rage in Kaneki's storm grey eye.

"Hey," a gruff baritone thundered from the entrance, "I need to talk to you."

"Yamori." Kaneki had said it with such venom that even Honest flinched. The lithe man stood gently moving his chair out of the way. "Can't you read? The sign says closed."

The man who was called Yamori only scoffed. Honest had to admit that the tall, burly, and intimidating man looked like he should be the one in charge, but the men he had with him clearly were scared stiff of Kaneki.

"I don't care, Sa-" In a flash Kaneki had closed the distance and buried his fist in Yamori's gut. The larger man bent over the blow, clearly winded. Kaneki shifted his shoulders slightly, lifting the man fully off the ground and then dropping him onto his knees. Before the blond, maffia boss looking individual could speak again, Kaneki kicked the side of his head, blood splattered up onto his clothes and droplets flicked out onto the floor.

Kaneki bent down and grabbed a fist full of Yamori's hair, pulling him up by it so that they were at Kaneki's standing eye level. "I will not repeat myself Yamori," he cracked a finger to punctuate his words. Judging by Esdeath's sadistic giggle Kaneki was about to do something very violent and unpleasant. The sound had stopped him however, instead sending them a dark gaze. Honest felt like he was staring down a famished predator and he was a juicy looking rabbit.

Kaneki cleared his throat. "Koma!" A man they'd not even noticed walked out of the back, bowing to Kaneki. "Take this upstairs to my office." he let go of Yamori's hair, leaving the man trying to regain his sense of balance on his hands and knees. It really looked Kaneki was a savage king dealing with an unruly subject. He glance at the others that Yamori brought with him; they bowed out and ran off as fast as possible. Once the large, white suited man was on his feet and had reached the staff door that Koma had opened, Kaneki turned to look at him, "I'll deal with you in a moment." Something like fear flashed in Yamori's eyes and he hurried up the stairway.

"As I was saying before, Prime Minister, I'd like more time before making a final decision, there are many things that I'm already juggling at the moment." Kaneki didn't turn to face the table, his arms crossed behind his back and a dark look in what could be perceived of his face.

"Of course."

Kaneki bowed at the waist and dismissed himself, heading up after Yamori and Koma. They all sat in silence again. Wave seemed afraid, the assassin didn't care, justice girl was riled up, Stylish looked… orgasmic, Esdeath seemed to giggling at something he couldn't comprehend, nor did he care to, Run looked concerned, and Boris… was wearing a mask and didn't say anything to give away how he was feeling.

Honest stood and cleared his throat, the others rising out of respect. "I'll be taking my leave now that business has been settled. You have my best wishes." With that he left.

***POV**

Wave shuddered internally. He had just witnessed someone only a hair shorter than himself take down a man with the build of an ox, in under thirty seconds. And they way he sounded. Just thinking about it sent ice through his blood. When he'd first seen Kaneki, he didn't even consider him to be anything more than a lower class citizen, then he came out dressed like a Nobleman and he certainly seemed nice, _then_ he beats the shit out of some maffia looking guy and it was like he was, yet again, an entirely different person! "What was that all about?"

He hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud until Esdeath chortled. "That, my dear Wave, is a demon in human form and my wonderful big brother."

"Hu?"

"I suppose I should tell you, Kaneki might be joining us after all and you'ld figure it out sooner or later. I described him as friend, brother, and father separately because those are the three most common stages to his personality, or at least what he shows me of it."

"I don't understand, General." Boris spoke, leaning forward a bit with a wary tint to his voice. "How can a person have _stages_ of personality?"

Esdeath hummed in thought. "Well, this is what I know about his life story. If you want to know more I suggest you ask him yourself. Snowy was abused by his mother when he was growing up, she was poor and it was best for him to play at being a good boy, hence the friend personality. When he's like that, Kaneki is very reserved and shy, unassumingly carrying out any task that needs doing with the poor-man's diligence he had beaten into him. That's also where his monotone way of speaking comes from- I think."

"He was beaten?" Seryu looked horrified and angry all at once. "How old was he when that villous cur hurt him." Clearly she had been enchanted by his politeness and Wave couldn't help but think that she was naive.

"I'm not sure but they continued until she died when he was about five."

Wave was shocked by that. Beaten at such a young age and then orphaned? No wonder he was fucked up!

"But then who was the 'loving mother' he had been talking about?" Run added to Wave's list of questions.

"Ah that's the part of his life I know the least about, but out of it comes his father personality. Whomever the woman that adopted his was, she became the person he refers to as his mother. From what I know, she was a very wealthy woman who just decided she'd liked him, picked him off the streets, and took him home. He'd learned the refinement of the gentry from her. She also died while he was still fairly young but by then he'd grown a lot into the next stage of his life. "

"The brother personality I presume."

"Precisely, doctor. That is the way he was when we first met, in the cold tundra of my homeland. He saved me from freezing to death in a winter blizzard, ironic given my tiegu's powers isn't it. Anyway," the General leaned back into her chair like she was enjoying the story, "Snowy as a brother is cold, ruthless, and savage. Anything that threatened my safety growing up was removed with brutal efficiency. It was this darker side of him that showed me some of the best torture methods _by example_ , though I doubt he knew I was watching."

"So, we've seen glimpses of all these sides to him in the last half an hour?" Wave muttered to himself, trying to process everything.

Before he could launch into any more questions a young woman with striking dark blue hair stepped out of the staff quarters, tieing the last knot in her cafe apron. "I'm sorry for that interruption earlier, we weren't expecting any other guests. My name is Touka and I'll be taking over as your waiter." She gave a polite bow.

"Thank you," Boris said, a relaxed chord in his voice as she went around collecting used plates.

As Wave handed her his cup, the silver and gold band on her ring finger caught his attention. "Oh, are you engaged?" a slight shade of red colored his cheeks at her expression, "Ah! I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry it's ju-"

"Married actually," Touka said calmly. Her eyes trailed off slightly as if she was remembering something before she too flushed a deep shade of red. Clearly whatever she imagined wasn't appropriate for the workplace. Esdeath smiled softly, and gave a little signal to the young woman, as if asking for more details. "Oh, but I couldn't."

"These warriors will be working under me, Touka-chan. It's alright to tell them."

"K-Kaneki is my husband. General Esdeath couldn't make it to the ceremony so we were going to hold a party for it later."

"Really?" Stylish looked only slightly put out, "but I didn't see a ring."

"He wears it on a chain around his neck so he never has to take it off." Touka giggled like a newlywed would at some quirky behavior. Boris picked up the conversation happily, talking about his own wife and daughter, espousing the joys of parenthood to a nervous Touka.

* * *

 

_The Web, 10:24 am_

Eto quietly pushed open the cafe door careful not to ring the bell hanging above the frame and suddenly far more thankful for her petite build than she had been before. Touka seemed to be busy with a large group of customers and judging from the smell of Yamori's blood splatter over the floor, Kaneki wouldn't be in the best of moods. That did little to perturb Eto's exuberance however. Tatsumi was coming along beautifully and she couldn't wait to tell her precious little brother all about her new toy.

Slipping through the cafe and practically floating up the stairs, the elder half ghoul came to Kaneki's office door, outside of which Koma was nervously running a comb through his hair and standing so as to block anyone from entering. "Ah, Eto-sama, when did you get back?"

"Just now. Is Kaneki punishing Yamori right now?"

"Eh, um…" unable to really speak his mind, Koma nodded solemnly.

"That's no good. If he kills Jason now the plan will fall apart. Let me in," she took a half step forward toward the nervous ape ghoul. To his credit he stood his ground for quite a while, until Jason screamed bloody murder. He moved out of the way quickly to let Eto by. Though she loved seeing her cute little brother so blood thirsty it was a shame she'd have to put a stop to it. "Sasaki~"

The white haired man in question had removed his eyepatch, the slight glow from his red ires being the only notable lightsource, that and the candle he was using to burn Jason's shoulder with. "I suppose I should be angry at Koma for not doing as he was told, but," Kankei pulled the candle away from Jason's already ripped, bleeding shoulder, "thankfulness at the interruption might be more appropriate, especially if I still have guests downstairs." Though his words had been calm and reasonable, the dark look in his eyes and slight twist of a snarl, betrayed just how livid he was.

"Now, now," Eto chirped, "Jason-san probably didn't need to be burned on top of everything else. Though I gather he was close to committing a grave offence… Let him go for now, Sasaki-sama, I have news for you regarding Doctor."

Kaneki's distant eyes flicked over to Eto for the briefest of moments as he turned to place the candle back in its holder. "Yamori, leave. We'll discuss your grievous lack of respect later. Don't forget what it means to be the Underking's vassal next time."

The owl sidestepped Yamori's burly shoulder as he rushed past. The male reeked of pain and fear, but most curiously an excited fury boiled just beneath the surface. It would be fun to watch Kaneki break the blonde, that's for sure. Once he'd disappeared, she returned her attention to Kaneki who was leaning against his desk, arms crossed over his chest and staring her in the eye.

Eto's trademark grin flickered over her face in the candle light, the curtains were closed leaving the room dark as it would have been at night. The light washing up Kaneki's back, shadowing his face made his already difficult to gauge emotion even more so making blunt the only option she had. "That toy you let leave a while ago, the one looking for his two friends is a member of the Night Raid."

"And?"

"I wanted to play with him a bit so I put some of my power in his body, that's how they were able to kill Ogre actually, then sent him to Kanou with his friends' bodies." Kaneki stiffened but Eto was too enthralled with recounting Tatsumi's progress and ability to adapt. "The best part of it all is I made him eat human flesh and he doesn't even know i-" Pain exploded over her face, ringing in her ears and stinging badly. Kaneki's hand passed out of her field of vision a fraction of a second later. Their sudden proximity giving her a full view of the unbridled rage in her brother's eyes. Why did she ever think that Kaneki shared her sense of humor. She had only made him more angry, not that she'd been unoffended by the blow.

Once she regained her composure Eto returned his glare with all the fire he had been directing at her. It slowly dawned on her what kind of ramification her new toys would have on Kaneki's schemes, not to mention she'd done all of this behind his back, undermining his leadership and denying him her feilty as her King. Eto lowered her gaze to the floor, apologetic in so far as she'd overstepped the high and trusted station Kaneki had given her and betrayed her own loyalties. "I'm sorry for overstepping my bounds."

Kaneki took a shaky breath, the tension and anger melting out of his posture, replaced with regret and only mild irritation. "I'm sorry that I lost my temper with you Eto. I should have held my composure."

She shook her head slowly, "Even Father got angry, Kankei, that doesn't make you a bad King." Eto gently rubbed her still sore check, "Besides, I deserved it."

Kaneki placed a hand on her shoulder and they hugged it out. This reminded Eto of when Kaneki was still young, they got in fights then too, but never about the things normal siblings argue over; the half ghouls often butted heads when it came to ethics and their personalities were the most easily blended, yet on those occasions when they could work in tandem, such as Kaneki's ascension to the throne, there wasn't anyone in the whole world who could stop them.

"Eto," the King pulled back to look her sternly in the eyes, "you know full well that he's your responsibility now. Keep Tatsumi under your wing and watch him like the wary mother owl you are; his mistakes will be on your head, understand."

"Yes." After a moment's consideration she asked, "What about Kanou."

"I'll deal with him _personally_. Yomo is in charge of the cafe while I'm gone. Run any important decisions by Touka, I trust her judgement."

"What should I do?"

"You have an owlet to mind, Eto." Kaneki moved over to his desk as he spoke pulling out a quill and some paper to quickly scratch out his instructions. It was clear Kaneki had every intention of leaving right away.

"Safe trip." she murmured as he walked briskly out the door while tieing back on his eyepatch.


	12. Kill the Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whelp. Shit's a-hitting the fan. Sorry about this chapter being short...

 

_The Web, 10:32 am_

Touka glanced over her shoulder having caught a whiff of her mate coming down the stairs. Fortunately the old building creaked enough that her reaction didn't seem all that out of place. When Kaneki emerged from the staff quarters dressed to go on a trip, she nodded in his direction and excused herself. Their conversation was hushed and brisk. She watched as Kaneki approached Esdeath, placing a hand on her shoulder and leaning in to whisper in the general's ear. Despite herself Touka felt a twinge of jealousy, not that is was justified. She'd heard as much from Kaneki himself. The general was just a sister or daughter, his affections nothing like how what he directed towards her. Besides they were _mates_. Married. And she was being more than satisfied every second she spent with him.

Her misplaced worries were eased more when Kaneki returned to her side. They shared a kiss goodbye. "I'll be back before you know it, alright." His hand was warm against her cheek and she leaned into his touch.

"I know. Be safe."

"Always." Kaneki smiled a gentle expression in his eye. Just for her.

Touka took in a deep calming breath as Eto came down the stairs. She caught the slight redness in her sister-in-law's eyes and cheek. With Kaneki out the door she couldn't ask him. She'd just have to get the answer from Eto herself.

***POV**

Esdeath straightened her posture in her chair when Kankei walked over. His demeanor didn't give anything away but she recognized the bloodlust in his eyes. He was going to kill someone. Probably.

Her mind shifted to the man who'd stormed in earlier, the way Kaneki's face darkened, the lightness and ease of his movements kicking the offending party while they were down. Seeing her sadistic older brother sent a shiver of excitement through her. Kaneki was the kind of lover she wanted, only not him. He was too old, the man who molded her. No, she wanted someone to mold herself, someone with potential and younger than her.

But first she needed to see Kaneki 'working' again. Boris might enjoy it too. And it would be vital to her Jaegers to experience the darker sides of him. He would be their captain after all. She wouldn't let Kaneki turn the Prime Minister down.

Esdeath grinned at her new follower. "Come now Jaegers. We have a job to do." As she stood they stood also. Touka seemed to be conflicted, gazing after Eto and sending glances in her direction. Seeing to ease her adoptive sister's tension, Esdeath gave her a warm smile. "Thank you for the coffee, sister."

"Ah, yes! Have a nice day, General."

* * *

_Outside the Capital, Kanou's Residence, Underground Lab, 2:43 pm._

The air stung in a way that she never remembered before, like her lungs hadn't been working for a long time. Everything felt cold. What had happened to her? Oh right. She had been tortured and… killed. Was she dead? Is this how being dead felt?

A loud slam broke her out of the stupor. "Good afternoon, Doctor."

"S-Sasaki-sama! Y-you're early. I wasn't expecting you for at least an-"

"Cut the shit. You know why I am here."

The younger man's voice was cold and enraged as opposed to the old man who started begging for his life. Even though it would have been more comfortable to just keep her eyes closed, to go on sleeping, she forced herself to wake up. What she saw sent ice through her veins and her recently resumed pulse hammering in her chest.

A monster with two long, centipede like limbs coming from his back was holding the old man by his collar. Its glowing red ires focused on her as she struggled with her bindings. A burning feeling ached through her right eye tearing a soft whimper from her.

The monster, likely Sasaki, dropped the old man, four other sharp limbs pulling from his back as he approached. The rage in his one visible eye vanished, leaving the leer on his mask less terrifying and more unsettling. She shuddered when his black nailed hand cupped her jaw, tears pouring out in desperation.

"You made _more_ of them." Sasaki turned his eye back to the cowering man.

"I-I wanted to fix them, Sasaki-sama. Takasuki-sama ordered me to."

"Yes, I'm aware of my sister's actions. You could have refused her. My word is law after all. You had my protection, until now."

That sent the old man over the edge, dropping to the ground in a groveling bow.

"Were those twins you stole not enough to satisfy you?"

"P-Please, forgive my foolishness my Underking!"

"I've forgiven you more than your share, Kanou. Don't worry about these children. They are my own and I take care of my own."

The old doctor was shaking, his tears stopped and a look of acceptance on his face. "K-Kaneki, please, free mankind from their weakness. Bring us light again."

"Of course." There was no more anger in his voice.

The doctor bowed his head.

Sasaki covered her eyes with a hand. "Close your eyes child and feel no fear. I will teach you about this world you've been reborn into. As a child of darkness you will serve me like the others. I am your king." The scent of blood filled her nose and mouth. The squelch of flesh being torn apart rung in her overly sensitive ears. Her stomach turned in anticipation and a hunger unlike anything she'd ever known gripped her. Every inch of her begging begging for the flesh and blood being spilt.

Something squishy and wet and warm was pressed to her lips. Sasaki's strong voice smooth in her ears. "Eat." She obeyed, relishing the flavour. She knew she was consuming human flesh, but along with discovery was knowledge. Knowledge that she was no longer human. It tasted good and she wanted more, _needed_ more. Sasaki gave her more, uncovering her eyes to see his eye, its glowing stare reflecting herself in the darkness. Her right eye was the same as his. "What is your name, child?"

"Sayo, my lord."

"And this still sleeping one?"

She saw her childhood friend laying on a table next to her. "Ieyasu, sir."

Sasaki turned his gaze to two monochromic girls who looked down at the bloodstained floor with horror. "You're father disobeyed his king and I have passed judgement. Will you too disobey."

"No, Sasaki-sama."

"May we mourn our father, Sasaki-sama?"

He nodded. The two girls approached the pulverized remains and wept silently. Sayo didn't know what kind of world she had been brought into, but she didn't like it.

"Excuse me, your majesty, but where is my other friend, Tatsumi."

"My sister is caring for he. He is unharmed. He is also no longer your friend."

"B-but!"

Sasaki placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. "We are ghouls. Humans are our prey, not our friends. We cannot live with them nor without them. The Night Raid, of which Tatsumi is now part threaten our existence. You needn't concern yourself however. I am taking steps to ensure he will be joining us soon."

Sayo nodded, doing her best to roll with the punches. "When do you think Ieyasu will wake up."

"It is hard to say. No more than three days."

"Please," she clutched the surgical gown clinging to her side, "take us away from here."

* * *

_Night Raid Base, 2:46pm_

To say that he felt like shit was an understatement. The second Tatsumi walked into his room he collapsed. Takatsuki had finally worked through his system leaving every inch of his body stiff and aching. He noticed a lingering flavor in his mouth and a weakness to his muscles that unsettled him. That begging she'd been talking about makes sense, he could easily get addicted to feeling of power. Tatsumi flinched at that thought.

No! he was not going to become some kind of toy for that monster to play with. He is not a puppet!

Curiocity picked at him as he stripped off his shirt, peeling the sweat-soaked fabric from his back. The spider shaped bruise had faded slightly but was still clearly defined through his skin. A sickening reminder that he had some kind of _something_ literally crawling inside him, capable of manipulating his actions completely. The brunette shuddered.

" _Aw, miss me already?_ "

Tatsumi jolted, eyes darting around the room in search of the voices source. His eyes finally landed on his reflection, grinning dementedly back at him. "W-what?"

" _Oh, come now. We both know you haven't forgotten me that easily."_

"T-takatsuki?"

" _Close. Remember what she told you? I'm you, the real you. I'm the bloodlust in the back of your mind, that predator that loves to see my prey squirm, struggling pathetically before I sink in my teeth."_

The warped reflection laughed at Tatsumi's flinch. "You're a figment of my imagination, then. Just another fucked up thing that happened to me this week."

" _Oh that hurts._ " His reflection chuckled, a sickening, blood-chilling sound. " _Tell you what, go back to that little cafe of 'his' and I'll show you just how real I am._ "

"I'm way too exhausted for this. That's it, I'm hallucinating from fatigue. I need sleep."

" _Oh, did you think that was a request? Sorry. Since when were you the one in control?_ " Tatsumi's body stiffened and he twitched violently, trying to fight off whatever this thing was. It was ultimately futile. The image's demented grin crawling over his features. " _Off we go, to see the king._ " His smile faded into a serious expression, tossing a casual excuse to Mine as he passed. She glared suspiciously as he passed but Tatsumi's reflection paid her no mind.

This is not good. Yet more to deal with. When did Tatsumi stop caring so much? When had this gone from soul-shattering to an inconvenience. His bloodlust thought that was funny. They laughed.


	13. Kill the Predator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't really like how this one turned out but oh well?

_ The Capital, Upper Districts, 5:43pm _

Ieyasu’s eyes twitched and he sucked in a deep breath, shifting into a more upright position. The young man flinched at the sheer number of scents assaulting his nose, whimpering at the sunlight stabbing into his eyes from the carriage window. Ugh, was he stiff. Sayo was saying something but his mind was still sleep addled and he couldn’t make out her words.

“I’m taking you to the Restaurant. It’s important for you to understand how our society operates, even at its most savage.” Ieyasu squinted at the man who spoke, light white hair and pale skin, a dark suit, and an eyepatch. He exuded an authority that made the younger man shrink back into his seat. Sayo slipped her hand into his and he blinked at her. She smiled.

“We made it, Ieyasu. We’re in the capital. So is Tatsumi, we’re all okay, we’re all alive.”

He didn’t know what she meant by that last part. Did something happen? Why are her hands and arms scared? He lifted her forearms closer to his blurry eyes and glared at the skin until it came into focus. They looked like cuts. Ieyasu went to speak but what came out was a garbled sound. His brow pinched and he tried to talk again but to no avail.

“It seems he’s more damaged than Kanou thought. Don’t worry child, it may take a while but you’ll speak again. We’ll get you something to eat in the meantime. It will help.” The man’s voice was gentle, he liked the sound.

The seats they all reclined on were a soft fabric, not quite velvet and by the rocking click, the closed in and shuddered space, they were definitely in a carriage. It struck him just how dark the interior actually was, his eyes overly sensitive to light just as his nose and ears were more sensitive. His head buzzed with a low throbbing headache and it was difficult for him to focus too long on any one thing. As he came more into his body again, he felt that ache everywhere, from a stinging in his lungs to a weak feeling in his arms and legs. 

Ieyasu searched the interior details just to escape from contemplating his physical condition. It looked like he might be riding with a nobleman, as if he wasn’t baffled enough already! When his gaze fell to Sayo’s eyes he was struck by her overwhelmed sadness despite the faltering smile on her face. She threw her arms around his neck and began sobbing tearless cries. Ieyasu held onto her like his life depended on it, dread seeping in his heart at her near silent murmurings. “We’re monsters, monsters.”

He snapped his eyes towards the man, locking with the visible grey eye just in time for him to removed his eyepatch. The carriage clacking against the street finally jarred him in looking out the tinted windows. For a moment, he saw the upper class houses of the Capital, then the sight was blocked by a drawing of the curtain.

“Sasaki-sama?” Sayo leaned further into Ieyasu’s arms but her eyes were only on the white haired man. The red ires staring back at him stole the youth’s breath. Somehow the young man broke the stare and clung tighter to Sayo... She had a red and black eye as well.  _ What the hell? This can’t be happening! _

Memories, terrible, horrible memories flooded his mind and choked his senses. The pit, the cage, hot metal, twisted laughter. A girl with blond tresses standing over him while her mother carved a knife through his ribs. The screaming that never seemed to end, day in, day out. All around him driving him mad. Sayo, gods Sayo hung there, cut and bleeding and nude. Assaulted in every terrible way while he was forced to watch.

His heart rate skyrocketed as the vivid flashbacks and present fear thrust him back into that horrible place. Something like a muscle tightened in his back, he could feel it break his skin and burst, forcing his mind into the present yet again. A large green-blue appendage ruptured from his shoulder, a long bladed edge. It twitched a thrashed and Ieyasu panicked. This  _ thing _ was part of his body but how and why? It’s moving on it’s own!

“Calm down.” Sasaki spoke coldly, two red hued limbs seizing onto Ieyasu’s and lifting it away from him and Sayo. “You’re going to hurt your friend or yourself like that. Your will controls your kagune, think of it like an extra arm. It’s part of who you are now, the price for living again.”

Ieyasu stared at Sasaki, letting the deep grey eye draw him into an almost dream-like calm. He forced himself to breath slowly, taking in the coaching. Sasaki let go and Ieyasu carefully manipulated the limb, thinking of where it made sense to bend and flex. He could feel it shifting with his thoughts, like the bone or muscles that made it up changed to suit him. He felt... powerful. Not nearly so scared as before, like he could protect Sayo, instead of fear her. Nothing could hurt them again, not like before. He wouldn’t let it happen.

The pain in his limbs was nearly gone, though with its absence came a new ache from his stomach. Hunger he didn’t recognize. He shifted, swallowing thickly, trying to cling to that sensation of power and control though he could feel it slipping away. Sayo is depending on him now, he can’t be weak anymore! He just can’t be!

When Ieyasu looked into her eyes again and caught sight of his own reflection there, he lifted his right hand to his eye. Raised veins cracked over his skin. His ires just as red and illuminated as the other’s.

Ieyasu felt like his eyes were playing at ping pong balls with how often he changed his gaze from the girl beside him to the man sitting in front of him. The two limbs that Sasaki had summon shrinking and retracting into his lower back. It took a second for him to figure that out for himself, but the blade was away. Sayo returned her face to his chest with a defeated sigh. Something in his facial muscles relaxed and the veins disappeared as well. That was going to be interesting to get used to.

“The ghoul’s eye is called a kakugan. Only show it when in battle or to another ghoul, do not let humans see your eye.” Sasaki spoke crisply while refixing his eyepatch. “There is a section of military police that will try to kill you just because you’re a ghoul, it’s important to keep your identity hidden. Uta is already making masks for you both but until they are done you’ll not be doing any hunting for yourself. Understood?”

“ _ Y _ e _ s _ s _ i _ r.” Ieyasu jolted suddenly. It was a mangled sound, sure, but he spoke! He actually spoke! He was beaming.

Sasaki smiled at him. “It’s good to see you’re already making progress. Give it more time before you really start talking, alright?”

He nodded once and the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Sayo sat up, though her hand lingered on his shoulder, grip tight.

“We’re here. Try not to look at anyone too long, they might get the wrong idea.”

* * *

 

_ The Capital, Upper District, Ghoul’s Restaurant, 5:59 pm _

Tsukiyama drummed his fingers against his immaculately tailored suit, humming in irritation at how  _ slow _ the Night Raid was. And after all that trouble Kaneki-kun had gone through to plan this. He bit at the inside of his lip, mulling over the show for tonight. The King at least would be punctual, should have those new ghouls with him as well. He’d doubtless be put in charge of them in the royal box. They’d get only the best cuts if he had anything to say about it, his reputation and usefulness were riding on tonight. This would be the trap of the century after all. Kaneki really is a genious.

He had to stop himself from laughing as Uta approached, decked out in his usual attire. It was fine for the tunnels of course, and that may explain how it took so long; winding the Night Raid through the underground labyrinth, having a few of the walls change on them. Humans never had very excellent night vision to begin with and ghoul children did have to memorize the tunnels...

“Gourmet,” Uta greeted with a slight bow.

Shuu smiled pleasantly, flicking some stray hair over the crest of his leering-moon mask. “Mask-maker.” He nodded in return, only a slight bow in his shoulders. “I’m glad to see his majesty’s guests could make it. Bonne! Come, I will show you to the dining room.” He gestured for them to follow him through the gate at his back, it lead into the lower common rooms first, a mix of ghouls from all levels, adorned with their public masks, chattered to each other. The assassins didn’t miss the hungry glances sent their way. The humans, also wearing masks of their own, shifted closer together, closing ranks. Now  _ this _ he chortled at.

It wasn’t a particularly long walk to the upper ring; just beneath the royal box were a row of private dining rooms reserved for officers and VIPs. “Please be seated, I’ll let him know you are here.”

***POV**

For a moment after the door closed no one moved, no one even breathed. Then, Najenda sighed, dropping into a chair at the farthest end, the head of the table. The other members filled in seats thereafter, all silently contemplating who ‘he’ was, Sasaki the Underking, or Kaneki who was likely a major player in this community. The other’s masks, muck like Akame’s, took a singular color motif that fit relatively well with their current aesthetic. Najenda looked like a clockwork maiden with how natural the fleshtone material and silvery gears flowed together. It covered her mouth and neck, a circlet similar to a crow giving that pop of authority to her appearance. Bulat looked like he had a dragon skull over his head, lower face showing in the open mouth. Lione had a heavy silk viel that rested over the bridge of her nose in varying shades of gold and yellow. Lubo, a full face mask that was styled after a tormented human, mouth stitched shut and eyes gouged out only to be covered by a cloth that was also sewn to the face. While the green-haired man assured everyone he could still see, it really didn’t look like he should have an visibility in that. Mine and Scheele’s masks were twins in domino fashion, keeping to the more fairytale-esque cuts that suited them, each in the assassin’s prefered shade.

She turned her eyes to the surroundings; dark rich-red tones covered the walls with lighter accents in the form of silken drapes. Every inch of the space screamed opulence. Even the crystal glass cups that marked the various places of the table were likely very expensive. A series of open slats in the wall behind Najenda, the softer murmuring of conversation and the occasional louder clank of dishes and china could be heard. Out there was much brighter than this room which held itself in some manner of shadowy countenance, a dream-like quality to the space.

The silent observation continued for a moment or so longer when the door opened again. A man immediately recognizable as Kaneki walked in, he held a mask in his hands, placing the leather carefully on a small buffet style table by the entrance. For the first time, the assassins were seeing his left eye. It didn’t seem scared or dysfunctional in anyway, so the reason behind his eyepatch elluded Akame. The white-haired man made his way to the dinner table and sat at the other head, leaving not a space open. Bulat and Sheele happened to be seated the closest and both shrunk back from his dark aura.

Kaneki gestured to the still open door and a server dressed in formal attire wheeled in a cart with various covered dishes on them. Each one left before a member of the table, a bottle placed by Kaneki’s side with a wine glass, and then the server left, closing and locking the door behind him.

Esdeath’s friend hummed lightly to himself while uncorking the wine bearhanded and poured the contents into his cup. “The show won’t start for another twenty minutes so we have time to talk over our... differences.” He lifted a hand dismissively to the far wall, rowed with thin eye-level slats. The large crowd just beyond.

Najenda looked over her shoulder and clicked her tongue at the throng. “Just how many of you are there?”

“Impossible to say, though thousands serve the King and His cause.”

Akame gripped the cover in front of her, lump forming her throat though it didn’t show in her voice. “And what is his cause?” She yanked the cover off and nearly dropped it in shock. On the platter was a human head, missing his eyes, an apple stuffed into his mouth. It is the spy Najenda had sent earlier. 

“Survival of the fittest. Kill or be killed. Eat,” He lifted the glass to Najenda in a toast, a slight smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth, “or be eaten.” Kaneki downed the drink all in one gulp and from the way it clung to the glass, the dark, almost black quality, not to mention the sudden rush of iron all proclaimed the drink to be not wine, but blood.

“You’re... You’re a cannibal?” Lubo’s grip on the table shook as he reached a hand forward in horrified curiosity. On his plate were hands, clearly belonging to someone else. They were carefully folded as to be praying in earnest.

The other members of the Night Raid lifted their covers, a shoulder for Bulat, a thigh for Scheele and Mine, Lione got a cut from the waist, and Najenda ribs. None of the various body parts belong to the same person.

Boss clenched her fists and slammed her hands onto the table, glaring spears at Kaneki. “How many have you killed for this sick joke?”

“A sick joke indeed. Tell me General, have you bothered to look around? Pay attention to the surrounding, not just the people? I’d wager not or you would have seen them, the chattel for tonight’s show. This is a dinner theater after all, a restaurant must provide something to eat, after all.” He spoke quickly and coldly, lifting the cover from his own plate. A single twitching human organ rested there. “You’ve yet to get to the  _ heart  _ of the matter.” The assassins had seen more than enough death to recognize freshly dead, and that heart was maybe minutes old. Kaneki picked up his fork and knife, setting to nonchalantly carving the organ up into bite sized pieces. He popped a bite of the raw heart into his mouth and chewed while staring right at Najenda.

The general leaned back in her seat, as if to get as far away from this display as possible, though she did not break eye contact. “What does your king want by inviting us here?”

Kaneki swallowed and remained quiet for a brief moment “He wants you to learn something, General. We have no interest in the human’s political affairs. What point is it to the wolf how the rabbit warren is organized. Meat is meat after all. This little war of yours is neither beneficial, nor problematic for my people, so long as you keep your nose out of this there will be no need for an altercation between us to ever begin.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “No interest in war you say...” After a pause she grit her teeth and leaned forward in her chair again. “Am I to assume you are not human?”

Kaneki merely smiled at her and kept on eating. “Honestly I don’t care what outcome your war has, though the likelihood of your revolution succeeding is slim, both sides pose a different set of difficulties for us, but so long as there are humans, ghouls will thrive as well.”

“Ghouls?”

Kaneki’s left eye suddenly turned a deep black with a shining red ires, much like how Uta’s eyes looked, only this gaze was full of madness and bloodlust. Every member of the Night Raid stiffened, all sucking in a breath. Every nerve in Akame’s body was screaming at her to run, run and never look back or she would surely die. “I am what I am, General. All men must eat.”

“Just what are you planning telling us this? What could you possibly gain from divulging such information to an enemy?” A very slight waver in the Boss’ voice. She put on a brave enough face.

He laughed softly. “You’re right to think there is a purpose, the reason is mine alone to know however. I want to extend an invitation to you and yours, General. There are humans in the King’s army believe it or not, always room for more. Being officially on the revolution’s side may put our operations under strain but there are always bodies in war. Bodies mean plenty for my people.”

“You King wants to extend his influence.” She scoffed, crossing her arms.

“No, his power already reaches to the ends of the empire,” Kaneki placed down his utensils now that there was nothing left on his plate, walking around the table to the windows. He reached over Akame’s shoulder to pluck the apple from the head’s mouth, examining it he moved to the window slits. “No, even farther at this point.” He held the apple up, lazily examining it from the corner of his eyes. “If you really must have a motive for me in particular, I want revenge against those that have wronged me. The ones who  _ killed _ my father.” The ghoul’s hand spasmed, completely crushing the apple in his grip. He stared at his dripping hand for a few moments before sighing through his nose, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his palm clean.

Akame stood, ignoring the shaking in her legs and drawing her blade. Fight or flight singing a war song through her blood. It effected a change through them all, hands on what teigu could be easily accessed.

“You should only draw a sword if you are prepared to kill or be slain yourself. Do you truly wish to fight me as weak as you are now?”

Before she could answer the door opened and a very grave looking Mr. MM came in half a pace. “Kaneki-sama, the CCG have arrived.”

“Is Yamori ready?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good,” Kaneki was suddenly standing beside the slightly taller man, dropping Akame’s mask onto the floor as he turned to leave. “Oh, and Night Raid, I suggest you find your own way out or this place will become your tomb.” Kaneki slid his black leather mask on and left.

Najenda stood shakily and looked them all in the eye. “We’ve gotten ourselves involved in something truly damning.”

* * *

 

_ Outside the Capital, Kanou’s Residence, Underground Lab, 6:02 pm. _

Stylish froze, his gaze tracking over every inch of the space. When the Lab Director did not return, fortunate for him, the CCG ordered that he and the Jaeger’s investigate, unfortunate for him. Honestly he’d rather be back in the Commission Guard's laboratory working with those interesting humanoid-danger beasts. That was the only way to think about them, those monster in human form. What they found in Kanou residence was truly alarming. Hooded figures quickly clearing the place out. Rushed orders and fast action. Devices were smashed or packed away. Experiments burned. Records burned. Samples again burned. Whatever the old man was doing here they did not want it seeing the light of day.

Speaking of old man, girls in monochromic robes knelt before the masticated remains of the late Dr Kanou, silently crying. Maybe those were his daughters, the files at the CCG’s HQ did say he adopted two girls. Seryu was practically chomping at the bit to leap in and rescue those girls from the horror going on around them. Ah, Captain Esdeath would have loved to see this, if only she wasn’t scouring the roads with Bols and Run. Well, at least he had Wave and Kurome with him. That would give him a tactical edge, along with his advanced soldiers.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” The voice came from behind him. All four of the jaegers present whipped around to face the person that spoke. A young blonde man dressed in a pressed white suit smiled down at them with no hint of amusement in his shining eyes.

“I dunno, Naki. But the boss ain’t gonna be happy if we let ‘em go.” Now another was at their flank, many of the people milling about in the room had shifted their attention to the two standing men and the Jaegers between them.


End file.
